Fate
by Zookes
Summary: **Chapter 9 is up!** Inuyasha has accused Kagome of killing Kikyou. Now, with no where to go, where will Kagome end up? Will love bloom? KagKouga
1. Chapter 1

Fate

By: Zookes

**Author's Notice: **Hello! This is my first fanfic, so I do hope you like it. I have read many fanfics, and I hope I can live up to them (the good ones with good grammar, plot, and spelling, of course!). But, my being human, I will be apt to misspell a few things. If you see me repeat some of the same mistakes over the course of one or two chapters, please let me know. Not only do I want to enjoy this story, I want you to enjoy it as well. Also, any suggestions as to how you would like the story to unfold will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Kagome walked silently through the moon-bathed forest. Countless memories clouded her confused mind; she was, in a sense, lost in her own self. Painful blobs of tears threatened to fall from the young girl's eyes. She stubbornly refused them. Her heart was broken; she believed that it would remain that way for ever. "_What could Inuyasha ever want from a pathetic human like me?" _She thought to herself. _"Kagome, do you honestly believe he _ever _cared for you?"_

In all honesty, Kagome _knew_ she was kidding herself. She was not pathetic, as Inuyasha had told her so many times. The simple fact was that she had heard him accuse her of this on so many occasions, that she actually started to believe that it was true. As Kagome recalled that day's events, the tears again tried to resurface. She blinked multiple times, and with a small cough escaping her throat, held them back. Oh! How she wanted to cry, how she wanted to let go, how she wanted to be held close to a person who loved her, and cared for her. Sadly, the miko could not realize how many _did_ love and care for her…

**---_Flashback--- _**

_Everyone sat quietly in Kaede's small hut, the strong rolls of lightning rumbling to the point of temporary deafness. A stream of rain glittered past the window, the cloth that had been serving as a window cover had long since been blown away some time earlier. The flap of the long cloth serving as a door clung desperately to the stick of wood it was clumsily tied to. The flap of cloth was somehow heard in the mist of all the thunder. A bold streak of lightning lit the night sky; all that could be seen was the eerie glow of a certain hanyou's golden eyes. They raged with furry. "What the _hell_, Kagome?" Inuyasha yelled through the thunder. "How the hell could you?"_

_Kagome looked at Inuyasha as if he were crazy. He certainly seemed as if he were, that Kagome was sure of. "What are you talking about, Inuyasha?" She asked, her voice barely able to be heard due to the storm. _

"_Don't play dumb! I know you killed Kikyou. Your scent is all over her." Kagome's eyes widened. She had done no such thing! How could Inuyasha even begin to fathom such an atrocious idea? Smelling her confusion, denial, and anger, Inuyasha shot his had at Kagome's face, almost as if to strike her, only to gently caress her cheek. Another flash of lighting revealed five thin red marks on Kaome's tender flesh. _

_Feeling sudden sensation, she gently touched her cheek, and looked at her fingers. They were lightly dabbed with blood! _"Is this _Kikyou's_ blood?" _She screamed inside. It couldn't be! Kagome had been in Kaede's hut almost the entire evening, the storm had started soon after lunch. Kagome looked up; she was met with Inuyasha glaring down at her._

_Through gritted teeth, he growled, "Get **out**, Kagome. Now." He bared his fangs, giving her fair warning he was not joking. _

_Tears swelled up, and threatened to fall. Gaining her composure, her face turned to an angry expression. "How could you think I would do such a thing, Inuyasha?" She looked at him; did he really think that low about her? Silence filled the air, Sango and Miroku both started to say the hanyou's name, only to be cut off sharply._

"_Shut up. If you say one word, I'll kill you and this whole damn village. If you want to live Kagome, get out." He smirked, "Go ahead, say the word. You better make it a good one, Kagome, 'because I'll track you down and give you a slow and painful death. I have nothing to live for, now that you murdered Kikyou. You're pathetic and weak. Half the woman Kikyou was. I--" _

_Kagome stood up, and grabbed her bag. The rain had dampened it, _"Stupid Kagome, leave your things at a cloth-covered window in the middle of a storm."_ She left without saying a word. For a moment, she thought she heard Shippou protest to Inuyasha, only to hear his crying. No doubt Inuyasha had hit her poor little boy. But what could she do? Inuyasha had summed her up in a nutshell: pathetic and weak._

"_Now what am I going to do?" Kagome said out loud to herself, wandering through the forest._

_**----End Flashback----**_

"At least it quit raining…" Kagome said, sitting down on a moss covered rock. To tell the truth, she hadn't really been all to concerned on Kikyou's death. She knew she had nothing to do with it, regardless of what Inuyasha believed. But still hurt that Inuyasha would betray their friendship the way he had.

Kagome always forgave Inuyasha when he went off to screw the dead bitch. Sure, Kagome had to go home for a few days and cry the whole time there. But she got over it within a few days. And she never mentioned how she felt about the ordeal. Inuyasha knew she knew, and would simply apologize.

Sometimes the miko thought the silver headed boy had mental problems. He had made many promises that he would never do such a thing again, only to go screw Kikyou again a few weeks later, at one time, a few hours after his apology. Sighing, Kagome got to her feet. Maybe she could find a village if she wandered long enough…

* * *

**Final Thought: **Ugh! Crappy chapter. Not at all how I wanted it to turn out. It will get better, I promise! Your input on how long to drag Kagome's wandering out. Other suggestions would be loved as well. Thanks.

Now, hit that button and REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**Fate**

By: Zookes

**Author's Note:** Geez, I'm slow! Thank you to the grand total of three reviewers that I had. I least I know _someone_ reads what an author has to say at the beginning and ending of each story. Well, I hope you guys like this chapter. _Oh, and one more thing_: I probably need to edit the first chapter with this also: this story takes place soon after Kagome is kidnapped by Kouga. Not directly after, but you get the idea. Ok, enjoy the story.

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

A small rabbit demon bounded out of the way of the falling miko. She had been wandering for quite some time. Wearily, the girl scratched another line in the concrete wall she had created a few in her mind a fewdays back. A diagonal, "Five days!" She moaned. "_Five days,_ and not a single village! I've got to be the most unlucky person in the world." She said, her voice dropping in desperation. It was then she tripped over a tree branch root.

Kagome grunted as she hit the solid earth. Angry with herself, she promptly picked herself up and began running. Stubbornly, she ignored the sharp pain coming from her school book's edges prodding themselves into her back from within the giant yellow backpack she always carried. It was a wonderful feeling to run. If she could only push a little harder, go a little faster, nothing could catch her…nothing mattered in the world. When she ran, she was free. Free from this world, all its worry, loneliness, hunger, and of course, Inuyasha.

Giving into her burning legs, she slowed to a jog, and then stopped. Kagome had never ran this long, or this far. The young girl spun around, and took in her surroundings. Looking up at the blue sky, poking through the trees, Kagome realized that she was even more lost than she was before.

"Great! That's just great!" She wanted to hit something. All the anger she had bottled up wanted to explode. One girl couldn't take this much stress. It was simply to much, "It's all your fault, Inuyasha…" She mumbled. Somewhere deep within her heart and soul, all the love she once had for Inuyasha fading into oblivion. Kagome knew she could never truly hate the boy, but never again would she love him like she once did. He would always be considered her friend, even if he wished otherwise.

"_Now what am I going to do?" _Kagome thought to herself, _"I only have food and water left for a few more days…"_ A tree branch bristled, Kagome quickly turned to look in its direction. She sat her backpack down and retrieved her bow and arrows. Kagome skillfully put an arrow to the bow, pulled back and released it. A pink glow gathered around the weapon and left a rather large hole in the tree. "Hmm…maybe I'm just being paranoid." Kagome said aloud. The girl gathered her things and continued on her way.

----------

"Eight days," Kagome grunted, "I don't think I can take this anymore."

Indeed, eight days had passed since Kagome had seen any human being. Occasionally a rabbit or small herb-eating demon would pass by, but that was all. Needless to say, the little miko was bored out of her mind. _"Is it just me, or am I the only human left? Damn it, I'm talking to myself."_ Moodily, the girl carried on. She so deeply wished to return to her friends, and give that hanyou a good 'sit.' _"I can't. Inuyasha made that quite clear…"_ Her mind then engrossed itself on memories from days ago. The storm, the lightning, Inuyasha's eyes molten with anger and hate. Was he really the fluffy-eared boy she had once loved? Or had Kikyou's influence on him turn him as cold as she once was?

Hearing the sound of a bird overhead, Kagome was ripped from her thoughts. She found herself looking at a series of mountains, with a familiar looking waterfall launching itself off the side. Kagome groaned, "Please don't be him."

She had no choice but to investigate. Her food stock had run out. Kagome never thought she would see the day her backpack went dry. Maybe all wolf packs had waterfall entrances? Yes, that was it. This wasn't the wolf that had boldly declared her as his. Certainly not!

----------

A wolf lifted its head, sniffing the air. It growled, and got to his feet. The wolf demons directed their attention to their animal comrades. All were up and heading towards the waterfall. The women hastily ran into a separate part of the cave, the men looked on with disinterest. If the wolves considered it a major threat, they wouldn't still be in the cave. Slumped on a rock, Kouga looked up. He huskily marched past the men and was making his way through the wolves.

"Move, damn it." He mumbled. Finally having to kick the biggest wolf at the front out of the way, he stepped through the waterfall. At first, he didn't see anyone, or anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the young miko looking over the cliff. Apparently she was amazed she had even made it to where she was. A smirk graced his face.

Walking quietly behind her, he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and nuzzled into her neck.

----------

She looked over the edge of the cliff. _"How in Kami's name did I get up here? I must being going crazy. I could've broken my neck!"_ Suddenly, she felt someone wrap their arms around her, and nuzzle her. The person's hot breath sent a shiver down her spine. She let out an 'eep!' and turned to face the person behind her. Her eyes locked with Kouga's.

* * *

**Final Note:** Hi guys! Again, not what I wanted the chapter to be. But I needed to get a chapter up or I might loose what readers I have. Hmm…could I consider this a cliff-hanger? And, no, Kagome will not fall head-over-heels for Kouga just because their eyes locked. I had to end this some way…anywho, PLEASE review. It makes me want to write more. And thanks so much to Loki R, LynGreenTea, and Evil Ball of Fluff for reviewing. Not to dragged out, updated, and a Kouga appreance. Sorry about the late update though, LynGreenTea. Okay, go review now :o) 


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTES:** Well, I suppose this was inevitable. Please allow me a moment to prepare myself with an onslaught of torches and pitchforks. Yes, it is I, Zookes, returned from the dead to finally issue to you chapter three of Fate. I am aware that has been two years, well three if you're counting the New Year. I think I may have slipped into a conscious coma…I honestly _did_ forget about this story. o.0

I'll try not to let that happen again. Seeing as I have listed my personal Myspace, I'm fairly certain that someone will remind me should I relapse into this unfortunate mishap. _Please, please, please_ be aware that I am **desperately out of synch** with Inuyasha franchise. If this story is not in context with the "rules," kindly take yourself back to when Inuyasha was no longer a complex mess of drawn out drama. If anyone would be up for giving me a crash course, you're welcome to. ANYWAY…on with the chapter.

* * *

**FATE**

_Chapter 3_

**

* * *

  
**

**_[Kouga POV]_**

I took in her beauty; surely this woman was a goddess in a mortal's body. From the brief period I was able to spend with her, I could tell that her self-esteem level was not approving of her. But how?

As I pulled her thin, lithe body to mine, I felt her breathe catch; her heart rate increased dramatically. At last, she was home, happy to be with me. I hadn't had the pleasure of knowing this mortal long, but something about her had convinced me that she was _the one_. Not in a human sense of the word, but my demon one. No, she was not merely _the one_, she had to be my future mate, never leaving my side.

Pulling her tighter, I grazed my right hand over her stomach. One day, my future pups would get their beginnings here. Many nights had passed with my dreams of what they could possibly end up resembling. As much as I detested half-breeds, I knew that my children, my pups, would be different. With such a lovely, talented mother coupled with myself, half-breeds would tremble in their wake. Power would be theirs, I was confident.

At my touch, she gasped again and pressed her body colder to mine. My heart was beating at twice the rate hers was. _"I wonder if she can hear it?"_ I chuckled to myself, and inclined my head to her neck, grazing the her silky skin lightly with my teeth.

**_[End Kaouga POV]_**

**_---------------------------------------  
_**

**_[Kagome POV]_**

The breath hitched in my throat; I froze. Surely, my rotten luck could not have panned out, could it? I mean honestly, how many wolf packs live in a cave protected my a waterfall door looking off of a mighty cliff? Oh…right. Stupid hunger, stupid luck, stupid, stupid, stupid KOUGA!

I felt like screaming, I felt like kicking, I wanted to explode. One would think I had the intelligence level to remember that this _was_ Kouga's home. Who in their right mind couldn't remember the place to which they were kidnapped? Honestly. And why the _hell_ was I spitting out an internal monologue?

Ugh. I could feel his disgusting, grimy hands clawing all over me. At his touch, I flinched back into him. Just who did he think he was? He certainly couldn't think I'd come back to be with him, could he? I gasped. Alright, that does it.

**_[End Kagome POV]_**

**_-------------------------------------------  
_**

Kagome struggled against Kouga's embrace, furry crossing her features. With an audible huff, she struck Kouga with all of her might. Furry was replaced with a contorted expression of pain. "Ow, ow, OW!" She growled, grasping her offended hand, "Did your face get harder?"

Kouga touched the area that Kagome had tried to hurt, a look of realization emerging on his stone face. She had not come to be with him, no. With a sigh, he looked down at the tiny miko before him. Perhaps now his heart could be heard cracking. His eyes brightened, he would simply have to _make_ this woman fall in love him. Kouga flashed a lopsided grin.

"No, Miss Kagome," He said lightly, "But could think of something else that could."

Kagome's face reddened. Kouga laughed. This human girl never ceased to amuse him. Throwing his left arm about her shoulders, he lightly towed her towards the waterfall guarding the dens entrance. Not wanting to stale any longer, Kouga tugged again, pulling her through the chilly water.

The wolves apparently remembered the young girl. Immediately they began to surround the little miko. A look a relief appeared on her face as Kagome knelt down to gently pat each one, finally coming to the largest of all. This was the wolf that had approached her initially with her first…visit. Looking more like that of a house dog by its actions, the great wolf began licking Kagome's face, barking at her, demanding attention.

It yelped lightly as Kouga grabbed hold of the nape of its neck, pulling it away. "Hey, hey, hey," He said, "She just came through the 'fall, you really think she needs another shower? Go on, get!" With that, Kouga tossed the large animal across the den. With a _thud!_ it retreated down a dark, carved out hallway of the cave, its tail between its legs. Kouga proceeded to shoo the other wolves from Kagome.

Watching them retreat, Kagome placed her hands on her hips. "Was that really necessary? What if you hurt him?" She said in a clipped tone. She scowled when Kouga began to laugh. "What's so funny?"

Kouga waved towards the hallway where the big wolf had retreated, "Oh please. He only yelped because he knew you'd stick up for him. Little shit."

"I think he's sweet." Kagome said, staring towards the dark, gaping hole in the wall. Kouga pulled Kagome to her feet, perhaps a little roughly. "Ouch." Kouga said nothing. Why could she give the wolves attention but not himself?

"You're just in time for dinner, Kagome!" He said, pulling her towards a straw-covered mat. Plopping down, he pulled Kagome with him. Landing in his lap, she hurriedly crawled a good two feet from him. Pulling her legs under her into a proper sitting position, she glanced warily at Kouga, a blush still gracing her cheeks.

_**---------------------------------------**_

**_[Kagome]_**

Seemingly from no where, females began to appear in the large area, carrying with them large trays filled with food...raw food. My eyes must have widened, for I hear Kouga suppress a light chuckle in my direction. "Don't worry; we have some fruits and vegetables if you can't stomach the meat." He said reassuringly. "Anya! Bring Kagome some fruit, and throw some greens on a plate as well." He smiled at me.

I glanced in the direction that he had ordered the wolf named Anya. I couldn't find her, so I settled for twiddling my thumbs while waiting for her to reappear. My eyes widened again, "Plate?" I quickly covered my mouth. I guess after being alone for so long, I needed some practice in keeping my words and thoughts separate. I could feel myself blushing as I looked in Kouga's direction.

I didn't have to look far. He had taken the liberty of scooting awfully close to me. I debated inching away…would they still let me eat? My stomach growled, and Kouga laughed in response.

"Kagome, I'm hurt," He said, pretending look offended, "Do you honestly believe my people to be so uncivilized that we don't own plates and silverware?" I heard a few offended growls, and shuddered. "Oh shut up, she knows we're not animals." Kouga snapped, and then began his hearty laugh again.

I guess I was hoping against hope that he would be preoccupied with his little jokes long enough for Anya to return. He was already talking to me, rambling about something. I wasn't paying attention. "Dammit, what's taking her so long?" I mumbled. My hands clasped over my mouth again. _"Fuck."_ At least I was able to keep that one in.

Kouga slung his right arm about my waist and gave me a hearty shake, laughing. "Well, well," He began, "Someone's impatient." His laughing eyes then narrowed, "ANYA!"

I flinched at the sheer boom to his voice. He pulled me closer, wincing as I felt a straw dig into the fleshier part of my left thigh. Stupid school uniforms…

While staring down at my exposed legs, a plate appeared under my nose. I snapped my head up in the direction of the hand still holding an elegantly painted bowl. _"That's not a plate."_ I thought with a smirk. I locked eyes with the girl before me.

I hesitantly took the bowl from her, and gingerly began to nibble at a slice of apple from within it. Looking up the assortment of fruit, I noted that there were no vegetables; I again locked eyes with rigid girl. She was glaring at me, her eyes blazing. Kouga must have noticed as well. "PAY ATTENTION." He ordered. The girls head snapped back to look at Kouga.

Nodding, the girl quickly retreated to a group of other females. She seated herself, taking a plate offered to her. Her eyes were still locked on me. I found myself looking from my bowl, to her, to Kouga, and back to my bowl. I sighed, and then abruptly gasped when I heard a low growl rumbling in Kouga's throat. I glanced back at the girl, her gaze had been broken and she was now conversing with some of the other women.

"Do not mind, Anya." Kouga said, startling me a little. I had grown accustomed to the silence in my head and the low murmur from the men surrounding me. "She's a bitch." And he commenced laughing again.

Ugh, more of these lame jokes. I huffed. I was getting tired of feeling pathetic and weak and quiet. Obviously Kouga would bark, or growl, or whatever it is that he does if I offended someone. I could stand a little conversation, even if I did feel intimidated by the stares I was receiving.

"You're not very finny, you know." I said my heart rate quickening. It was then it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't offend the person, wolf, guy standing between me and a bunch of suspicious tribe members.

**_[End Kagome POV]_**

**_---------------------------------------------  
_**

Kouga looked down at Kagome. She was flushed with seemingly an onslaught of embarrassment. He smirked. "Oh come now, Kagome. Surely I must be a little amusing?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You jokes are little…improper." She said, still unsure of her wording.

"Bah," Kouga began, "You're just not able to fully appreciate their full value, is all. You could get used to them, if you wanted." He said, casting Kagome a hopeful glance. "Where's the mutt anyway?" He continued sharply.

"Oh…that." Kagome picked at the remaining fruit, "…Yeah…"

A low growl could be heard, and Kagome looked up, concern filling her eyes. "Please, don't worry about. It's…nothing." Kagome said, sighing the last word. "Thank you so much for allowing me to stay and eat. I suppose I should be on my way."

Kagome stood, gathering her giant pack. Turning, she felt a tug on her left wrist. She looked down. "Non-sense my Kagome," She flinched at the emphasis at on 'my,' "You are welcome to stay as long as you require. I should hope forever."

Kagome sighed and smiled, "Kouga, you're hopeless."

He smiled at the sound of his name. Kagome stared into the blazing fire that lit the entire front space of the cave. How had she missed the giant fire hole during her first…visit? Kagome's expression blanched as she watched Kouga's hand creep from her wrist to hold her hand. "You can let go, now, Kouga." She said softly, fighting an on coming blush.

"_What the _hell_ am I doing?"_ She thought, her blush intensifying. Kagome's mind became a blur as she heard and somewhat saw Kouga bidding his people good night, and lighting pulling her down a massive carved out hallway. She heard him talking, but could only pick out certain words of his speech.

"…love it here…"

"…don't worry…"

"show you around in the morning…"

"Huh?" She asked, coming from her reverie. "I'm sorry, Kouga, I wasn't really paying attention just now. Sorry…"

He laughed his booming laugh, the sound echoing down the hall and back again. Releasing her hand, he drew Kagome into a warm embrace. "Do not worry, Kagome. From your current state, you've had a long and unaccompanied journey here," He growled slightly, "You must rest. You look like you're going to pass out on me!" He laughed again.

Kagome wondered how he though _that_ was funny. She shrugged. Maybe he just liked to laugh, who knew? Kouga spun Kagome around so that she was facing a fur covered entrance. Pulling aside the white fur, a mahogany door revealed itself. _"They need more torches on the walls…I can barely see a thing."_ Kagome sighed. "Don't bite the hand that feeds, I suppose."

"What was that, dear Kagome?" Kouga asked, a bit to close to Kagome's ear. She shivered, he smiled.

"Oh! Nothing!" Kagome groaned, she'd have to work on that.

The door gave a slight moan in protest as Kouga pushed it open. Kagome gasped. "It's beautiful." She murmured.

Candles, both sconces and stand alones, illuminated the room to that of modern day brightness. Pushed against the stone wall was a large circular bed, covered with expensive-looking furs. Two candle sconces were placed above the bed, one on each side. Kagome's eyes flickered to a giant gleaming chandelier, adorned with what looked like sparkling diamonds. A large dresser sat across the room from the bed, an elegant mirror perched above it, also framed by two candle sconces.

Deeper into the room, Kagome could make a dimly lit area, seemingly a sitting room, with many pillows arranged for sitting. "And through there is the rooms hot spring." Kouga said, "If you'd like, I'll have two ladies bring you some clothes and washings so that you can rest easy tonight."

Kouga laughed as Kagome let a small squeak with what sounded somewhat like a "thank you, yes." Pushing her towards the door, Kouga opened the door, saying a woman would be there to assist her shortly.

_**-----------------------------**_

Sighing, Kagome slid under the sheets of the grand bed. Four people could comfortably sleep there, Kagome sighed again. The women, to Kagome's dismay, who Kouga had sent to help her, had been very kind. After finally assuring the nine or so women that she could wash herself, Kagome finally relaxed for the first time in months.

"_Maybe Kouga isn't so bad. Maybe a little to eager to help, but he'd certainly make a great friend, if he'd only calm down a bit. I'll have to talk with him about that tomorrow…" _Kagome yawned. All the candles had been put out before she had finished her bath, and she had groped her way towards the bed in her new bed clothes.

"_I never knew wolf people could be so nice. Yeah, that Anya girl was a little weird, but maybe she was PMSing or something…" _Kagome yawned again, and slowly sleep over came her.

* * *

**FINAL NOTES**:

Hiya! Hope you enjoyed that. Surprisingly it was fun to write. I hope someone even reads it! I'm starting writing the next chapter as soon as I post this, so no worries. If it's not up within four days, feel free to harass me on my myspace.

Please review, as much I need to be yelled at for my tardiness, some constructive criticism would be loved. I have plenty of ideas for the next chapter, it's just some extra bulk that I need for future ones. I'm fairly sure of what I want plot wise, what I'm really after is some funny scenes you guys and gals would like to see. Playing around with Kagome and Kouga and the tribe sounds like fun, but my mind has its limits. Feel free to throw some ideas at me, and I may work them it.

PAYCE. =)


	4. Chapter 4

**INTRO: **See? I can do what I say I'm going to do! Ugh. I just reread through the last chapter I posted. I found a lot of typos that really bug me. But as **Pointy Objects** pointed out (har har, dry humor), as long as it doesn't distract, I suppose I can deal with it…being there. I'll try my hardest not to rush anymore chapters. That one was rushed. I was stricken with guilt that I had stopped work on a story without notice and just _had_ to get something else before time could wedge itself further between me and . But enough of my rambling! Story time…

**Fate**

_Chapter 4_

_**[Kouga POV]**_

Light was beginning to pour into the room from the ancient skylights. "Uuuuuugh." I threw my arm over my eyes. I have just had the best night's sleep in over a century, and the sun decides to put a damper on my day. Grumbling, I forced my eyes to adjust to the attacking light. _"I really need to push this bed a little to the left…way to the left."_

Now that I think about, it was amazing that even so many years ago, my ancestors had thought about such trivial things as lighting and hygiene. The hot springs throughout the caves are a blessing, as much as I hate to admit it. There's only so much body odor that I can take from Ginta and Hakkaku before I start to get a nose bleed, after all. And our tribe doesn't need another flea infestation again. Ugh. It sends shivers up my spine just thinking about that little nightmare.

I glanced at the little miko resting peacefully across from the bed. How she was managing to sleep through the bright light amazed me. For that, I was grateful. The way the rays were landing, I could have sworn she resembled an angel. I chuckled. _"No, angel's pale in comparison to my Kagome. Not to mention angels hate my kind…"_ I chuckled again, and with a yawn inched closer to Kagome, gently stroking her cheek, careful not to rouse her. I know I had to make her love me, I just didn't know how at the moment. Maybe sleeping on it would help. With another wide yawn, I closed my eyes. _"Just five more minutes…"_

_**[End Kouga POV]**_

_**[Kagome POV]**_

My eyes lazily opened, then squinted shut. How did this room get so bright? I looked at the extinguished candles, _"It should be pitch black."_ With a small grunt, I flipped from my back to my side. I gasped, with a small yelp escaping my lips. I could feel my face turning tomato red. I couldn't have been more than two inches away from Kouga's face. _"What the _HELL_?_" My mind began racing, last night's memories began to blur. What had I eaten? I didn't drink anything, could they possibly have spiked my food? How did he get in her? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. OH. MY. GOD. _Why_ is his hand around my waist? No, no, no, no, no, this _cannot_ be happening! How, when, what, huh?

My chest began to heave. I knew if I couldn't get away that instant I would start to hyperventilate. I tried in vain to inch away; at the slightest movement, Kouga's grip tightened, pulling me closer, as if that were even possible. My eyes went cross-eyed for a second, unable to see past the bridge of Kouga's nose. My heaving started to quicken, my breathing became labored. _"Calm down, dammit! Calm down, you're going to wake him up!" _I whined. _"Well, DUH! Wake the cheeky bastard up and slap the living hell out of him!" _My mind retorted.

What happens if he does wake up, huh? How awkward is that going to be? _"Oh hi! How's the weather, Kouga? Oh wait, I already know thanks to that freaking skylight!"_ A thousand little scenarios dashed through my imagination, ranging from insignificant to something as far-fetched as an epic death battle complete with flaming thumbtacks and evil little toy poodles dressed in pink tutus. My eyes widened in horror as the man in front of me began to stir. I was sure I was hyperventilating by now.

His nose twitched for a second, and then he snorted. _"Eww!. Gross!"_I pressed my hands against his bare chest in a last ditch attempt to get away before he completely awoke. My eyes widened. _"Wait? Is he friggin' naked?" _I quickly glanced under the sheets, a sigh of relief soon followed. When I directed my eyes back to him, I gasped. His ice blue eyes pierced mine. "They're so beautiful…" And then I gasped again. _"I _reaaallly_ need to work on that…"_

Kouga grinned a crooked grin. I could feel the blood draining from my face as he pressed his forehead to mine and then asked in a casual voice, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I felt like screaming. No matter how well I slept, how did he expect me to act to find him here, in my bed, well, my room, well, his room, his bed, oh my God.

I began flailing around, struggling to get away. He looked amused at my antics. Finally I yelled something unintelligible at him and he finally loosened his grip on my waist. In the effort I was exerting to push myself from him, the force flung me from the bed. I found myself on my head on the floor with my right leg still propped up against the thick mattress. "Oww…" I moaned, muttering something unintelligible again. In response, I was greeted by Kouga's booming laugh. From the floor, I could see him looking down at me, himself now on his stomach.

"Now why'd you go and do that, Kagome?" He asked laughing; eyes alit with amusement.

My face flushed with anger, I was sure steam was coming from my ears. Grumbling, I twisted myself into an upright position, quickly grabbing the sheet I pulled with me during the fall over my legs. Apparently the bed clothes here were awfully short…I was certain that moment that Kouga had caught a glimpse of my underwear. My face flushed that much more. "Why? WHY?" I yelled, my voice rising, "What the HELL, KOUGA?"

He placed a finger to my lips, shushing me as if I were a child. "You'll wake the whole pack if you stay at that volume, love." He said smiling. I huffed. Angrily, I pushed myself to my feet and quickly located my bag. Pulling out my spare school uniform, I scowled back at Kouga. There he sat, looking perfectly innocent, waiting for me to do whatever it was that I was planning to do. "Ahem," I coughed, "Do you _mind_?"

Childishly, Kouga tilted his head to the side. I hated myself for having one of those girly "aww" moments, inwardly smacking myself. In a clipped tone, I told him to turn around. Even more childishly, he placed his hands over his eyes, and flung himself backwards. Could he act more like a five-year-old with a potty mouth?

I was half-way through dressing when he asked, to my horror sitting up, "You know, I had Claire get you some our tribe's clothes together last night. They'd be a lot warmer than _that_." He said pointing at my short green skirt. His eyes flickered to my breasts, his smile turning to a frown and his eyes filled with confusion as his stared at my bra. I threw my shoe at him. "Oh, sorry." He said laughing, covering his eyes and then laying back down. "They're on top of the dresser over there." He chuckled.

Pulling my white school shirt over my head, I laughed bitterly. "No thank you," I said, "I think I'm leaving."

In a flash, my face was once again two inches from his, his arms wrapped possessively around my waist and back. "Now why would you do that, Kagome?" He asked with a hint of pain in his words.

"Well for one," I began, "You freaking crawl into the bed with me and then on top of that I wake up this far from you…" I emphasized the spacing, "And you keep calling me annoying pet names, you keep touching me, you keep telling lame jokes, you're…" He clasped his right hand over my mouth. My eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Hopwwwph daumphh youumph?" My speech came out horribly muffled.

"Oh my Kagome," He laughed, "_I_ crawl into bed with _you_. Preposterous! It was really the other way around. And I am not annoying, you're just humor-intolerant, love."

I huffed. "Humor-intolerant" my ass. As I was internally venting on ways to make little angry gnomes attack Kouga, my mind finally registered what he had just said. _I _crawled into bed with _him._ My eyes widened in realization; I'd been doing that so often, I hoped that they wouldn't get stuck in that position. The room _was_ dark, and it _does_ appear to be very grand, like that of a master suite. And Kouga was the leader of this pack…oh my God.

"You set me up, you little…"

"Now, now." He smiled, "Do you honestly expect me _not_ to sleep in my _own_ bed in _my _cave. And do you sincerely believe I'd let you stay in the single women's quarters with men going in and out of there seeking prospective mates? I can't have some other wolf possibly taking a liking to you, now can I?" He laughed again, and then continued hesitantly. I'd never seen him this serious. "I'm assuming you wish to stay, why else would you seek me out?" He hugged me into him, a little too hard, I heard my back pop.

"Look, I don't want to be a burden…I think I'm just going to leave." I grunted, placing my hands on his chest, and pushing lightly.

"No, nonsense!" He retorted, pulling my closer. "You will absolutely love it here, Kagome!" He pressed his forehead to mine; this was becoming an annoying reoccurrence. "Of course, you'll have to take on the female role here. You are staying in _my_ room after all. And I can't give my people the impression that support dead weights!" His booming laugh followed.

Female role? I sighed, well that's just grrreat. So now not only was I being tricked into staying in the same room as a diluted, and possibly deranged, man, but now I had to pick up after him as well. _Wonderful._ I swear, as I much as I enjoy the feudal era, the way they view women really pissed me off. I am not a slave…but do I really have a choice? It's not like I can go anywhere…Inuyasha and I had effectively convinced my mother that I was never coming back. I even had helped my mother plan my memorial funeral. I was stuck here, and all thanks to that little, that little….UGH!

Well, if he thinks…don't even go there Kagome you'll start to hyperventilate again. How do I always manage to get myself into these messes? Why can't I, just for once, find a meadow full of magical unicorns and marshmallow fairies? Given my current location and circumstances for being here, I couldn't very well rule that one out. I hated being human, I hated being weak, and most of all I hated…_Inuyasha._ Yes. I would stay here; Inuyasha would never think to find me here, no way. Seeing him would only make things work. If he wants to think I killed Kikyou, then fine. Maybe I could make a life here, well, maybe just temporary…

"Alright, Kouga. You have a deal." I said, pulling my forehead from his, "You trade me a place to stay, and I'll agree to this "female role" thing," I looked up, "What exactly does that mean, anyway?"

Kouga grinned, obviously over-ecstatic. "I'll let the women explain that. Be sure to get on Anya's good side, though." And with that, he released his iron hold on me, and pulled me through the mahogany door and down the hall towards the main den.

Grrreat.

_**[End Kagome POV]**_

**FINAL NOTES:**

Well, there it is. Hope it was okay. I'm trying not to type so fast. I know I'm capable of writing like my favorite British authors (Emily Bronte and Mary Shelly—I love, love, love classic literature!), but I'm just not that patient, and tend to take on this quick, fast-paced style. Bear with me while I try to slip into my preferred writing style.

Anywho…please review. I'm going to start the next chapter in a couple of hours. Gotta go see my bofrann, I've been neglecting him. =(

See you soon.

PAYCE.


	5. Chapter 5

**INTRO:** I usually do not condone the usage of this particular…action, but it's my document and I'll do what I want. *sigh* (There, I did it.) I was hoping for a few more reviews on this thing. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for the kind reviews I have received, but honestly people! Click the pretty green button at the bottom of the page. Don't letthese few be the only mavericks here.

And thus the very bane of my existence is staring me in the face. That's right: writer's block, and slightly lethal combination of sheer boredom and five Red Bulls. Let's see what crazy messes I can get everyone's favorite miko into…

* * *

**Fate**

_-Chapter 5-_

_

* * *

  
_

After a short walk down the hall, and brief pause for Kouga to greet his fellow tribe members, Kagome found herself being steered, or in her opinion drug, down another long passageway. Curiously, she looked around, trying in vain to locate anything that remotely could attract her interest. This passageway was plain, no form of décor gracing its walls save for the lit sconces. The little miko gave a surprised grunt as Kouga sharply turned her to the right and down another long hall.

With a sigh, Kagome smiled. _This_ hallway offered a little entertainment to her idling mind. Kagome assumed they were traversing besides some side of the massive cave, for sconces were not needed to supplement their need for light. Deeply carved windows, curiously with glass no doubt, were proudly adorned with massive pink silk draperies with daintily sewn valances. Elaborately twisted candle holders were set in between each window, their wax inhabitants stuffed out; most likely their usage was reserved for lighting the passage once the sun had set. Kagome stifled a giggle as they passed a small carved-in opening housing two comfy looking chairs with a small round table between them. _"Even if they're old-fashioned, I have to admit those doilies fit well with this little motif…"_ she thought, smiling a bit.

The pair passed several doors; the passage way seemed endless. Several twists and turns later, the décor becoming more and more frequent and all the more feminine, the pair at last stopped in front of an open arch. Inside, twenty or so women turned to gawk at the pair blocking the entrance to their little abode. Kagome noted that many individual futons graced the area, somehow fitting perfectly in the large space due to the overly done décor of silk, furs, candles and glittering gems.

Staring back at the wide eyed girl, the females seated in a circle before her seemed to be appraising the miko as if she were literally a piece of meat to be bought at market. After a few minutes of this gawking, Kagome found that she could pick out a few of the emotions in the women's eyes. Curiosity, suspension, confusion, happiness…anger? _"Oh, yeah. That one's Anya."_ Kagome thought, easily picking out the last emotion as well as the wolf openly displaying it. The pale blond wolf gave a huff as she noticed Kagome's confused facial expression, turning quickly away, seeming uninterested in the new guest.

Kagome laughed timidly as Kouga shook her shoulders lightly, still babbling on about something to the women before them. _"This touching this is gonna have to stop."_ She thought determinedly, _"I do not want to lead him on. I'm not an ass like that, that mutt!"_ Kagome felt heat flush in her cheeks, mentally wishing she could 'sit' the silver-haired boy to hell and back. The women apparently took this as embarrassment, giggling in her general direction, Kouga obviously had been commenting about something concerning his little companion.

"Go on! Get! Shoo, shoo!" A plump looking woman demanded. For a moment, Kagome thought she was referring to her, and then realized that the pressure from Kouga's hands had reluctantly left their resting place. "We'll take good care of her, no worries dear. Now, _shoo_!" In a very motherly way, the plump lady waved her arms in the direction she wished Kouga to leave.

Kagome smiled; she liked this woman already. There was something eerily similar about this woman that reminded Kagome almost instantaneously of her own mother. A lump rose in the miko's throat; she coughed into her hand to avoid having the women see her pained facial expression; a tear still stubbornly found its way to her cheek. "Aww, look," Kouga laughed heartedly, "She misses me already!" Kouga wrapped his arms tightly around Kagome's frame, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck.

Kagome's cheeks flushed a furious shade of pink; she quickly stepped away from him, waving him off in a manner in which the stout little woman had done. Kouga's booming laugh filled the area. Kagome looked to the matronly woman; she too looked annoyed at the laugh Kouga was producing. No doubt this wolf had heard it many more times than she had. Watching Kouga's retreating form until her weak human vision could no longer make out his form in the dark passageway, she slowly turned towards the awaiting circle of ladies.

-------------------------

The seated tribe members looked up at their approaching leader. One of the elderly men gave a scowl; the audacity of this _human_ girl was simply intolerable. It was quite evident where "teams" had formed pertaining to their leader's sudden interest in this oddity of a female. No doubt they wouldn't be very keen on their leader courting a human girl. Then again, Kagome didn't seem to consider the idea very much either; she hadn't even consented!

That in itself was enough to send a wave of apprehension throughout the tribe. Kouga had clearly stated his opinion of the girl long before she had magically shown up at their doorstep, and no one was too thrilled of the method, let alone choice, Kouga had decided upon in obtaining this females devout and undivided love and affection. As soon as Kouga was seemingly out of earshot, a low murmur began immediately within the small remaining group of ancients.

One such wolf, a withered looking creature with dull grey eyes grunted angrily. Crossing his arms, he said a bit too loudly, evidence of his decrepit hearing, "That boy has no sense. A human! Humph!" He crossed his arms. "What sheer audacity the boy has. Keeping an unmarked female in his bed with him! Simply dishonorable! Humph!"

"Oh I know!" A shill, shaky voice chirped. A woman, most likely the old wolf's mate, was a thin, frail looking woman. Some may even agree that she could quite possibly be brittle. "He is certainly wise beyond his years, but this!" Her voice rang in an annoying quivering that could most likely shatter glass, "This is an abomination. Could you imagine the _things_ that female's womb would _grace_ us with? Why! Our tribe shall be the laughing-stock of the entire wolf-demon community! Whatever shall my little Bertha do? No one from the upper tribes will take a second glance at her if Kouga continues with this!"

A murmur of agreement resulted from the woman's comment. Kouga's tribe was certainly a well respected and wealthy one, but it was a far cry from that of the South-eastern and Northern tribes. What with the North's exquisite, rare white fur coats and rare big game to the South-eastern's literal _hoard_ of gold, land deeds, business ventures, and slaves, Kouga's little Southern tribe was much to be desired. Here in the south, the most the tribe had to offer was their expertise in tracking, certain food delicacies and of course a few certain gifted wolves that seemed to be confined within this particular tribe.

The ancients sighed. What could possibly become of their families if this continued? Of course they desired for their brave leader to be content, but at what price? Wasn't it a leader's job to sometimes have to take the biggest sacrifice for the betterment of the pack? Just as the elderly woman was about to unleash another flurry of wailings, the ancients abruptly fell quiet, hearing Kouga's approach. Fearfully they looked towards him. Kouga shook his head, smirking, "Old people…"

Retreating to his private bed chambers, Kouga sighed as he entered. His intended's lovely scent stained the room in all of its lavender and vanilla glory. The wolf prince found this room to have been transformed into his own personal euphoria, the scent proving to be almost intoxicating. Glancing at the slight disarray that had been left but mere moments earlier, Kouga chuckled. The grand bed was completely disheveled, the sheets twisted and deformed into odd shapes, one white fur pelt having been pulled to the stone floor.

Glancing to where Kagome had left her giant yellow contraption, he surveyed the full extent of the mess his little vixen had managed to create. Various oddities spilled forth, seemingly an aftereffect the miko's hurried search for her scandalous change of clothing. Striding foreword, Kouga let himself plop to the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his bent knees. He appeared to be at a loss of where to begin. Grasping his chin thoughtfully with his right hand, the wolf prince scanned the over-flowing yellow monstrosity.

After several minutes of tedious deliberation, Kouga reached forward, a corner of a dull brown book catching his eye. It possessed no title, and looked terribly worn; appraising its thickness, Kouga flipped the tired pages open to the near center of the book, not looking for anything in particular. Greeting him was a vast array of complex geometrical shapes and numbers impossibly printed in every possible space afforded by the dull-white page. Studying the leaf for several moments, Kouga, becoming slightly irritated, snapped the book shut and tossed it carelessly over his shoulder.

Returning to his newly discovered treasure mound, Kouga eagerly continued. Again surveying the massive mound of yellow, he selected another object of interest. It was a strange, tiny object, possessing two clamps, straps and identical cups. Struggling for some sort of understanding, the wolf demon began to turn the strange anomaly about in hopes of finding _something_ to aide in his quest. His search did not take long, for printed on one of the sides attached to the clamps; a few faded words were wearily clinging to the fabric. Kouga would make out only one of the words, the largest; the much smaller ones obscured into tiny letter scratches and unreadable babble. "What the hell is puh-lay-tehx?" He said, pronouncing the new word to the best of his ability.

For a moment he considered the thing to be a knee padding of sorts, but quickly dismissed the idea. What use would the straps be of? Awkwardly affixing the tiny metal claps together, Kouga held the item up by its straps. His confusion was no sooner solved by this action. An angry growl escaped his lips and he tossed the item, perhaps more carelessly than that of the first, over his shoulder. He had known that Kagome was a mystery, but did her possessions have to be as well?

Continuing with his rummaging, a light ruffling noise caught his ear, coming from deep inside of the yellow enclosing. Tilting the giant form towards himself, Kouga pushed aside various items until he located the source of the strange ruffling noise. Pulling out the shiny package, his ice eyes gawked at the elaborate design. He moved the rectangular package around, and shook it twice or thrice; wondering what could possibly be contained within the shimmering exterior. Placing his new found interest between his palms, he pressed it ever so slightly. His pointed ears gave a twitch at the resulting _pop_, and then looked around bemusedly as bits and pieces of what appeared to food came falling onto his head and onto the stone flooring. Peering into the now open bag, he fished out a strange orange-colored, overly large noodle-looking piece. Sniffing it for a brief moment, Kouga popped it into his mouth, a scowl quickly forming. Whatever it was Kagome found appealing in this, he was not sure. Shrugging, Kouga tossed the now non-interesting package over his shoulder, its contents spilling out from the landing.

Kouga's elfish ears have a twitch, as he heard the approaching padding of footsteps. Taking an inquisitive sniff, he easily identified Kagome's scent accompanied by a female wolf that he had left her with. He chuckled, turning to look at the mess he had managed to create in such a minuscule amount of time. At least her impending lesson on "female protocol" would have some hands-on action. Kouga chuckled once more, stifling his booming laugh that wished to make an escape. Hurriedly scavenging though Kagome's yellow bag once more, he grabbed the next colorful object that caught his attention. Sensing their immediate intrusion, he took the entire box with him, wanting to be able to thoroughly examine his stolen treasure, the wolf prince quickly scurried through the mass skylight perched above his, _their_, bed.

---------------------------------

"Do you like it, dear?" The plump woman asked, now identified as Momoko, "That…kimono, simply would cause too much of a…distraction amongst the male wolves. You understand." She smiled.

Kagome stared down at her new kimono. To her initial surprise, the new outfit was incredibly comfortable as well a mobile, not nearly as constricting as her own 'special occasion' kimonos back in modern times. Kagome sighed; her mother had most likely sold off her elaborate reproduction dresses by now, she was in a bit of a financial bind. Those expensive things would surely pay off some of Gramp's debt. The old man really needed to stop gambling…Kagome shook her head. She refused to think of her former life; it simply hurt too much.

Absentmindedly fondling the light blue fabric, Kagome sighed. It was painfully obvious that this kimono was of a far higher standard than what any of the women possessed. In all honesty, she felt like slapping Kouga. The little one had a strong hankering that this elaborately detailed kimono was his doing. If he expected her to live in peace amongst the other members, especially the females, why on earth would he supply her with something of unequal value of that of the others? Did he have no idea the jealousy that could result from this?

Momoko gently touched the young girl's arm, pulling her from her thoughts. The woman smiled, "You should really pay more attention, dear. You don't want to be running into things, you know." She teased. Seeing the girl's perturbed stare at the familiar door, the woman responded, "Kouga had informed me that you knew the stipulations of your stay here?"

Oh. _That._ Nodding, Kagome allowed the woman to lead her into Kouga's bed chambers, where she had somehow agreed to reside with him. Giving a small creak, the door begrudgingly opened, revealing the delightful mess that, unbeknownst to the two women, Kouga had left behind. Momoko sniffed once and smiled in understanding. Momoko had known Kouga since he was a mere pup, and he had never been one to _not_ mess around in someone's belongings if curiosity happened to strike him. Looking to her ward, Momoko stifled a giggle, Kagome's face being so rich in expression, the stout woman could not fathom how so many emotions were able to cloud one's face at the same time.

Kagome took in the grand mess that cluttered the room. Taking note of Momoko's small intake of air, she immediately understood. Anger, embarrassment, confusion, amusement and bewilderment danced across her features, her pink cheeks quickly adjusting to that of a bright red. Still taking in the spectacle before her, Kagome's eyes flickered to the chandelier, her eyes widening in shock. There, hooked by the strap was one of her worn-out Playtex bras. Her tiny fists clenching, Kagome resolved that she would definitely have a nice chat with the wolf demon who had taken the liberty to not only ransack her things, but put them on display for who entered to see.

Seeing the girl's rapidly changing emotions quickly became too much for Momoko to handle, a light giggle escaped her. Clasping her hand over Kagome's shoulder, Momoko laughed. "Well, well," She said, "You've obviously had no idea how mischievous your intended mate was, did you? Now, to begin your lessons with proper female protocol…"

At this, Kagome had instantly disengaged herself from whatever the woman was babbling on about. Sharply interrupting Momoko's speech Kagome almost shouted, "Mate?! Oh, ho! No, no, no, no! Kouga and I? Oh dear Lord, heavens no!" Her face flushed.

Momoko ceased her rant, her eyes filled with confusion. Surely this girl was not so naïve as to believe that Kouga had other intentions with her? It was clear that the girl was intelligent, but could be possible to be ignorant as well? "Dear, child! You've no idea what you are talking about. Now, pardon my impartiality to your nonsense, but we must continue." The woman paused, "Time is of the essence, my lady. You have not the luxury of the younger females to dawdle in your lessons. I am basically having to teach you how to be a perfect mate as if you were still a female pup, and you insist on such falsehoods. I assure you, my lady, I do wish to be rude. But the fact stands, you must take in this knowledge with much haste. You surely cannot expect an eager male such as Kouga to restrain himself for too long!" At this she giggled, followed by a sigh.

It had been nearly three centuries since her male had tragically died of some foreign aliment. Perhaps the only downfall to this form of society was that wolves mated for life, and seeing as her male had passed, she was forever doomed to reside within the single women's quarters, teaching and guiding the young girls until they, too, left her. Once a mate died, another was never to become their replacement.

"Restrain himself?" Kagome innocently questioned.

Snorting in amusement, Momoko replied with a question of her own, "How do you expect heirs to be sired, my lady?" Kagome's face flushed a deeper shade of red. She was virgin, and gosh darn it, she wanted to remain one! Ignoring the overpowering scent of Kagome's apprehension, Momoko continued on with her previously interrupted lesson. "Ahem" She cleared her throat, "It is expected of you, Kagome, to…oh for heaven's sake! Do pay attention!"

"I am _not_ sleeping with him, Momoko!" She said bluntly.

"My lady, sexual intercourse is a major part in demonic culture. You will come to realize this sooner or la--" Momoko watched in disbelief as Kagome stubbornly clamped her petite hands over her ears and childishly sang _la, la, la,_ repeatedly while taking herself over to the large bed and burying her head under a pillow. Placing her own hand to her forehead, Momoko walked towards the failed attempts of the little miko to hide from the current situation. "I hope Kouga has some ounce of patience within him, for the girl's sake at least." She murmured to herself, "This is going to take awhile…"

---------------------------------

Kouga sat expectantly on his straw covered mat for the females to parade into the main den, bringing with them that night's dinner. It had truly been a long day without his Kagome, and he was eager to see her appear, for her to be near him. He sighed, he didn't like waiting. Waiting had never struck his fancy, especially as a pup. At this thought, his breath hitched. _"Pups_," He thought, _"That would be interesting!"_ He laughed his booming laugh, the tribe ignoring him. It had become a common occurrence for him to suddenly burst out in random fits of laughter. Sometimes the ancients seriously considered asking him if he was sincerely crazy.

Luckily, the tribe did not have to be subjected to his overly-exuberant boom of a laugh for long, for as soon as his delicate sense of smell caught wind of Kagome's scent, he immediately silenced himself. Looking for the girl, he shortly found and locked onto her lithe form. His eyes hazed slightly; the kimono he had provided for her looked simply stunning. The light blue coloring of the fabric complimented her creamy skin deliciously. Kouga found himself wondering if her entire skin maintained that lovely tone; he entertained the thought of peeling away that low-necked collar to reveal her body to him.

"Kouga?" Kagome offered a plate to him, "You haven't even looked at what I'm giving you and you're already drooling. Are you alright?"

Shaking himself, Kouga looked up. Taking the offered plate, Kouga watched at Kagome neatly seated herself, a safe distance from him to his agitation. Allowing himself to break his gaze for just a moment, Kouga took in the contents of the plate. He smiled happily, "My Kagome! What hand did you have in creating this lovely meal, love?" Reaching for her, he pulled the miko to his side, "Do fill me in on your day."

Kagome internally groaned. After Momoko had had to resort to ripping her from the bed, they proceeded to clean the mess that littered the room. Occasionally they had to stop, for as they cleaned, Momoko insisted on rambling of wolf demon culture and expectations of a female. Certain areas left Kagome resulting to her _la la-ing_, and Momoko had to patiently wait out the storm. Shortly thereafter, they had proceeded to "kitchen" of the cave to prepare the evening meal. After successfully chopping the raw meat incorrectly and somehow managing to make two pots boil over into the cooking fire, and the food along with it, Kagome had been allowed to sit to the side and observe.

Laughing nervously, Kagome replied, "It was…um, interesting." She nibbled on her greens. They didn't taste that bad, albeit a far cry from frozen turkey dinners, it was rather an enjoyable piece of food. A few moments later, Kagome found that she was playing with her food, having pushed her greens into a shape of a smiley face. She sighed.

"Female protocol" for this era was exactly the kind of treatment that had, and was still continuing, being advocated for in her time. It was expected of her to keep every area that she and her, Kagome shivered at the word, mate stepped foot into immaculately clean. In addition to the cleaning, she was expected to partake in the preparation of the tribe meal each morning and afternoon. Luckily, lunch was her jurisdiction, but had to be to the taste of her mate.

At the mere thought of the word "mate," Kagome blushed. Momoko's extreme delight in telling her of all the intricacies of this little word had made Kagome's nearly curl into a ball with her hands clamped over her ears. Kagome knew she could handle the cleaning and cooking, but if Kouga expected even an ounce of what Momoko had deemed rational demands of a male, he was sorely mistaken. Kagome had already known a bit concerning how overly-protective, if not psychotically jealous, a male could become due to Inuyasha, but as far as wolves went, the hanyou paled in comparison. Rubbing her temples, Kagome sighed again. There was no way she could do this; there was no way she was ever going to mate with Kouga. Now to only convince him of that.

"Are you tired, love?" Kouga asked, watching the girl intently.

"I really wish you'd stop that. The whole pet name thing is getting old. And I've only been here one night." Kagome retorted bluntly. Laughing his booming laugh, Kouga tightened his grip on the young girl, shaking her a little. Kagome struggled to keep her food on the wobbling plate, "I'd really appreciate if you wouldn't do that Kouga." Kouga laughed again, and continued to scarf down his meal. Several minutes passed with only the sound of Kouga's loud crunching noises meeting Kagome's ears. She winced slightly as a drop of blood landed on her hand; wiping it off tenderly, she took herself to a happy place where her magical unicorns frolicked happily along with tiny leprechauns quarreling over a pot of gold.

"Kagome," Kagome found her magical world rip from her, "I was wondering. What exactly is this?" Looking in his direction, Kagome gasped, intense embarrassment making its way to her cheeks. Kouga held out a green, tubular wrapping, its contents unopened. Clasping her hand to over her eyes, she thought wearily, _"He ransacked my tampons. Can't the paper insert explain this??"_

"I-It's, um, well," She began, "A, uh…an…you see it's a…um…an a-absorption device." Still struggling for words, she continued, "It soaks up, um, liquids." Purposely leaving out the word "bodily," she looked up, her face still flushed. With horror, Kagome watched as Kouga ripped the green wrapping off, and stared at the strange plastic tube, bewilderment crossing his face. Slicing the plastic with one clawed finger, more confusion plastered itself to his face as he again stared at the new object. Shrugging, Kouga tossed the cotton entity aside, a small pup snatching it up quickly apparently pleased with his new toy. Kagome slapped her forehead, relieved that no one in this era had any idea why such a thing had caused her such embarrassment.

From there, dinner preceded rather quietly, much to Kagome's relief. She gave a shaky sigh as Kouga handed her his empty plate. Standing, she made her way to the "kitchen," with a little difficulty due to her numb legs. She was not expecting for Kouga to actually talk _that_ long to his tribe members. He was worse than a teenage girl on a Friday night! "_One day, and I already hate my job…" _After patiently waiting for a space to open in order to wash he plates in the large tub of scalding water, Kagome returned to the open space where Kouga was waiting, seating herself once more at this side.

"Oh, come now, mate," Kouga said, pulling Kagome into this lap. He nuzzled her neck, against Kagome's flailing protests, taking deep breaths, trying to memorize her scent, "Today couldn't have been that bad!" Somehow wriggling free, Kagome quickly smacked Kouga's left cheek. Pulling herself to her feet, she pointed an accusing finger in Kouga's face.

"Stop that!" She growled, "What am I? A giant piece of cat nip? Wrong analogy, but still! You know--" Kouga was now on his feet, a warning growl emitting from deep inside his throat. Pulling the girl to himself, he roughly towed her away down the passage way leading to his, _their_, bed chambers. Kicking the door open, Kouga crossed the room and roughly tossed Kagome onto the bed, his eyes flushed a demonic red. Kagome shivered violently; was this even Kouga?

Snarling at the shivering miko, Kouga snatched a fistful of the bed coverings, violently ripping it, along with a chunk of the mattress. Tossing it aside, the wolf gnashed his teeth at Kagome in anger. _"Punish her!"_ his inner demon wailed. Images flashed in a blur, Kouga's head began to spin. He recalled the first time the little miko had dared raise her hand against him. What a fool he had been to allow such behavior. By tolerating such actions, he now realized that she had it in her pretty little head that she could dominate her male. _"Such impudence shall not be tolerated! Teach her a lesson!"_

Fighting his demonic instincts, Kouga sharply turned away, ripping apart anything that dared to cross his path. In a matter of seconds, the lavish dresser was smashed to pieces, several giant holes kicked, punched and lacerated into the stone wall, and many of the sconces reduced to state of that of grotesquely deformed pretzels. He could hear her ragged breathing, fear radiating off of her petite form. The brilliant red began to fade slightly as the rage began to disperse. Stepping back towards the bed, Kagome quickly scooted away; Kouga growling in return. His woman dared to flee from him?

Jumping onto the bed, Kouga clutched the woman to him, letting her struggle against his iron grip. He did not mind, she would eventually tire out. Forcing her to sit upon his lap, Kagome's struggles continued as Kouga, attempting to soothe the girl, gently growled into her ear. Watching as the girl's struggles and tears turned to slow, non-consistent twitches, Kouga rested his chin atop her head. His woman had a lot to learn, it would seem. The wolf quickly decided that Momoko would be temporarily released from her duties; it would do the girl good to spend a day with her intended mate, all the while learning what was to be expected of her.

Laying the now dozing girl under the remaining in-tact furs and sheets, Kouga put out the two remaining sconces in the room then joined the miko under the sheets. Guilt started to seep into his conscious; he had no desire for his beloved to fear him. That was never his intention. Again making another resolve, Kouga vowed to make the girl understand his actions the following day; she had to. Pulling her sleeping form to him, Kouga tenderly wiped away the few remaining tears on Kagome's cheek with a small kiss, he too succumbing to the darkness.

* * *

**Final Notes:**Hmm…I didn't really get too far with this chapter. I suppose it could constitute as a framing chapter along with an experimental one. I think I may like the third person point of view. Depending on reviewer responses, I may keep the remainder of the story in this format. I hope the next chapter to be a bit longer, I really need to make the plot start to move a long. I never did like slow stories. =)

**AngelMason:** Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I find I enjoy writing in the first person from time to time, though having to annotate the switch looks a tad annoying to me when it's displayed for all to see. As for a beta reader, I will consider. I'm not really sure how that whole ordeal works. =)


	6. Chapter 6

Ay-o! I must say, I was a bit surprised that I received the amount of reviews I did for the last chapter. However, I am still a tad perturbed at the amount of visitors my story receives but no reviews. Eh..

Oh, and I'm terribly sorry at the gap between the update. I'm sure all of you will agree that passing my finals was a notch above getting a chapter out. I really want to get out that hell-hole that my school board deems a school and move to college. A little over a semester left now! =)

* * *

**Fate**

_Chapter 6_

_

* * *

  
_

_Sprawled on the linoleum floor, Kagome felt as though she was floating; her mind unable to think at full capacity. Dark, gray mist surrounded and choked the little miko. Alveoli contracting in pain, Kagome gasped for air in vain. Clutching her throat, a silent scream escaped her lips. She watched helplessly as the fire engulfed the blurred figures a few paces in front of her. Crawling towards them, she collapsed, still gasping in vain. Mind fogging, Kagome closed her eyes; the last sound reaching her ears was a blood-curdling scream of pain._

**-------------------------------------------------**_  
_

Kouga's eyes shot open, an instinctive growl escaping his clenched teeth. Looking down at the girl, he realized her hands were scratching at the dim light, her screams almost deafening. Shaking her, Kagome inhaled a raspy breath; giant blobs of tears began to fall freely from her round, brown eyes. Sobbing, she took her face into her small hands, furiously trembling. Kouga pulled Kagome to him, _"What the hell?"_ It must have been some dream; a low growl sounded from deep in his throat, his thoughts instantly pinned on the no-good mutt. If Inuyasha had been the cause of this, he would never live to see another sunrise.

Pressing his lips to her soft hair, he cooed to her, his low-bass of a growl calming the shaken miko. By this time, Kouga had seated himself in an upright position, pulling his small female into his lap. Rocking her, he nuzzled her neck, relieved that her fluttering heart-beat was slowing to a normal rate. "Shhh," He said, stroking her slender arms, "You're fine, love. Shhh."

Kagome roughly wiped the hot tears from her face; this was stupid. She could not even remotely recall the last time she had woken up from a bad dream, much less in this manner. Her mind still sluggish, straining to remember what exactly could have produced this panicky response. It wasn't as though Kagome was afraid of death; she had long ago accepted it as a way of life and her eventual, inescapable future. Tenderly, she massaged her temples, a headache quickly approaching.

The dream had felt so real, so vivid. Kagome noted that her skin was warmer than usual, and her eyes stung as if smoke had been forced into them. Taking a raged breath, her lungs ached in protest. Was it possible to actually experience the circumstances of a dream? Shortly before stumbling into this past-world, Kagome remembered she had read an article of it being possible to die in one's sleep if one had died in a dream. She shuttered. Although she wasn't afraid of death, the thought of her subconscious unknowingly killing her did perturb the girl a little.

"_That scream,"_ Kagome thought wearily, _"It sounded so much like Momma the time I fell through the ice at the rink."_ Her heart sank, an overwhelming case of home-sickness adding to her inner qualms. It had been ages since she had seen her mother. How stupid she was! Listening to Inuyasha had inadvertently sealed her to this world; she no longer existed in her time. Everyone thought she was dead, the paper work she had painstakingly worked on would make impossibly difficult to return to her former world had assured that. _"I wonder who Hojo is annoying no_w_..._" She grunted, now was not the time for jokes. A little visit couldn't hurt, surely not. As long as no one saw her, "no harm, no foul," right?

Slowly coming from her reverie, Kagome cringed as she felt Kouga's arms stroking hers. Shivering, she tried for pull away. He was the last person, man, demon, _thing_ she wanted to be around at the current moment. Last night was, uncomfortable, to say the least. Kouga's arms slipped around Kagome's waist, pulling her into his broad chest. Now almost to the point of trembling, Kagome began to push away from him.

Kouga's inner demon snarled; his female would not reject his comfort. Pulling her tighter, Kagome winced, a huff involuntarily forced from her lungs at the force. Kagome's chest began to heave, her small form on the verge of hyperventilation. Of all the times she had seen Kouga, voluntary or not, Kagome had never seen this side of the strong male gripping her to him in a possessive, almost anxious, way. Who was this man?

Surely not the smiling tan face she remembered. This was not the man that she considered annoyingly compulsively attracted to her; not the lame-joke-telling, care-free, big, obnoxious, brotherly man she had pictured in her mind. No, this Kouga was something else entirely, something primal. His eyes seethed with anger, slowly clouding with a haze of red, a sharp contradiction to his sympathetic facial expressions and his battling firm to gentle holds.

Momoko's brief lessons on male hostility flashed in a blur, her warnings mixing together with more embarrassing topics. Embarrassing topics that Kagome had promptly disengaged herself from. _"Maybe I should have paid more attention."_ She thought wearily. Looking up, Kagome was sure she was hyperventilating. Kouga's eyes were hauntingly severe, hazed in a solid red cloak of crimson. At even the slightest protest, his protruding fangs would moisten with saliva, his growl increasing in intensity to form into a snarl. Her heart felt fit to burst with fear, her "flight" instinct begging her to attempt to flea, to escape this living nightmare.

His mind was racing, his thoughts conflicting with his instincts and his conscious. How dare this impudent female refuse _him_? Kouga's inner demon snarled. It was he who had taken this girl in, it was he who offered her food, protection, shelter and undying affection. With her ridiculous garbs, surely she would have been killed or raped if she hadn't turned to him in her time of need and been properly clothed. Kouga growled fiercely at the thought of another man touching his precious female's virginity. He pulled the girl tighter; it was a rare day in Japan that a human of her age had not been consummated yet, and he would not allow anyone but himself take from her the most valuable of gifts to be given.

It was simply audacious for her to refuse him now. The little miko was, after all, the one who initiated the contact with his tribe. Snarling once more, Kouga forcefully buried his face into Kagome's neck. Rough kisses trailed the length of her jaw, his calloused hand caressing her soft cheek. She was his and she would love him.

Kagome's ragged heaving intensified as she found her self being coarsely flipped onto her back. Soft lips collided with hers; his hands began to claw away at her obi. Kouga growled as his bucked his hips into hers, pleased by her gasp for air. He gnashed his teeth at her as tiny hands beat and scratched at his chest and back. Yanking her obi back into position, Kagome felt her lips being assaulted once more. Sobbing, she placed her hands on either side of his face and begged him to stop, that this wasn't right.

His mind was black; he could see nothing but the female before him; a sweet, succulent female who dared defy her male. It infuriated his demon; Kouga's eyes harshly shut as he forcefully ripped himself from the terrified youth, and leaped across the room. A howl of anger pervaded; a clawed hand left five long and narrow burrows in the stone wall. Kouga did not know how to feel; he saw the trembling girl, a painful mix of fury and overwhelming guilt clouded him.

He sharply shook his head; he needed to get away from the trembling miko. Kouga had vowed to never hurt his beloved, and he'd be damned if he did it now. As much as his mating instincts cried out, he knew the instant Kagome had come to the cave, he would need to tread carefully. And yet he hadn't; and for that he was furious. The ancients would not be correct, no; he could control himself, he could and he would. Snarling again, he stalked from the room, slamming the giant wooden door behind him. Kagome winced as she saw a small crack creep its way up the door's length.

Kagome couldn't move; a combination of utter shock and fear locking her muscles into place. Staring at the ceiling, she continued to sob. Men, at least in this era, were all alike. To them she was property, and she wasn't even able to minimally defend herself from their beliefs. Add a demon into the mix and things got complicated, real quick. _"Fuck the death certificate."_ Kagome thought with a start. Panting heavily, she forced herself to roll to the edge of the bed. Finding her balance she crept to her bag.

Peeling the kimono from her body, she quickly discarded it. Digging frantically in the giant yellow blob, she pulled forth a pair of jeans she was certain were two sizes to small for her. Kagome snorted, when was the last time she had worn _pants_? Her brows furrowed as she noted her skill for being highly unorganized; she hadn't the time to seek out her usual school uniform in the pile of junk before her. Squeezing in the taunt fabric, Kagome sucked in a quick breath as she forced the button closed and the zipper up. The zipper fell slightly; she sighed, _"I feel fat now_…_"_

Luckily one of her worn-out bras was near the top of the bag, as was large white T-Shirt; it's once witty saying now beginning to peel. _"Cheap flea market vendor guy."_ Catching sight of a black sleeve, she tugged on it until it dislodged itself from its confinement. Pulling on the large black hoodie, Kagome slumped to her knees. There was no point in this; where did she expect to run? Doors and windows were non-exist in this room, save for the one leading to the hot spring and the direction _he_ went. And, and…the skylight. "I'm fucking crazy." She murmured. Not bothering to find any socks, the girl located the one familiar lump protruding from the sack. Pulling on a spare pair of shoes, she stalked back to the bed and clamored onto it. Grunting, she stared in frustration as the wooden framed glass stubbornly remained in place. Staring at the hinges to the tightly snapped clasp, she realized her mere human strength couldn't possibly coax it open. She gasped and her heart beat quickened; what was that noise?

Gawking around the room, her chest began to heave. An empty room stared back; her pack now looked as if it had vomited her possessions all over the floor. "I'm starting to hear things…" Glancing down at the thick furs, she snatched one up, and hastily wrapped it around her hand. As a second thought, she added a second; taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut, and jabbed with all her might at the glass preventing her escape. Two punches later, the glass shattered. Forcing spare shards aside, Kagome shook her hand free; a few pieces of glass had managed to make their way through. She watched as a small lump of blood oozed from the small cut on one of her knuckles.

Looking up, Kagome located with relief two small indentions slightly apart from each other. Heaving herself upward Kagome began the climb upwards. It was difficult; there were little or no foot holes. Most of the climb required her strength to press her limbs opposite each other to keep from falling while her legs pushed her up. Keeping her eyes upward, she continuously scanned for any signs of light.

Kagome let out a small scream as she slipped, and came to a sliding stop. She cringed; her muscles were in agony. Pushing forward, Kagome's spirits lifted as a small ray of light met her squinting eyes. As the light grew closer, her eyes widened. Another sheet of glass awaited her. "Damn it!" She cursed, tears swelling in her eyes. "No!" Her legs began to shake, threatening to give out; glancing down, she shuddered. Snapping her head back to look at the offending barrier, she made her legs hold their position. She clenched her fist into a tiny ball, heart racing she attacked the glass.

Knuckles protesting at the pain, she continued. Blood began to trickle down her arm, a few droplets falling from the cracked glass. They landed with small thumps onto her contorted face, pain the dominate feature. Kagome dared not look at her hand; if she did, she might stop. At last, a glorious sound reached her ears, the definitive sound of glass dramatically shattering. Tears finally started to fall; Kagome had placed both hands on the shattered glass and pulled herself up into the night air, moonlight washing over her small form. Wincing, she felt the glass pierce both of her palms.

Sitting on the ledge, Kagome allowed her shaking legs to dangling in the gaping square of darkness. A tiny dot of light was just barely visible. Kagome huffed in triumph, and moaned at the prospect of continuing. Appraising the damage, she picked the small livers of glass from her less offended left palm, blood spilling onto it from her right. Taking in the sight of her right hand, she gasped; it was torn to sheds. It would be a miracle if it didn't scar. Reaching under her hoodie, she managed to rip a large chunk of the white T-Shirt away, and wrapped the torn cloth around her hand. Small portions of blood instantly leaked through.

Muscles protesting, Kagome got to her feet and ran into the forest in the direction she believed Inuyasha's Forest to be. The Bone Eater's Well was her knight in shining armor; a bit ironic that she was seeking it and not vice versa.

**--------------------------------------------------**

Kouga sighed, staring down at the plate of food he carried. He had given himself a good twenty-four hours to calm down, to the women's utter dismay and horror. They were furious when they realized that their beautifully decorated portion of the cave would take weeks and a good amount of funding to be put back to its former state. Guilt washed over him; he was disgusted at his behavior.

Kouga considered his childish behavior; he couldn't recall the last time he had thrown a trantrum. He had left his intended alone, unguarded. She was visibly terrified when he left, it was his job to comfort her, not make her fear him. And he had failed both responsibilities horrendously. Would she forgive him, would she ever trust him after his unruly behavior? How hungry she must be, how forsaken.

It was obvious that he loved her. Kouga simply couldn't understand why she couldn't see it, and apparently his demon was a little more than frustrated. Kagome was a strong girl, as much as he didn't want to admit it, she would recover. Granted, he would have to do a lot of sucking up, but Kouga was fine with that. Anytime that Kagome allowed him to be around her after his despicable behavior would be a blessing.

Pushing the now cracked wooden door open, Kouga hesitantly peeked his head in. "Kagome, I…" A growl escaped him as he flung the door open. The scent of her blood instantly met his nose, as did the display of glass scattered on the bed. There was no sign or scent of a struggle; his female had fled. The stone plate collided with the opposite wall. "No." He snarled. Kouga knew his tribe was more than capable of finding his little female; she couldn't have gotten very far. This time he wouldn't mess up, he couldn't.

Kagome needed a well-deserved apology as well as an explanation. She needed him, she needed love, she needed honesty, she needed faithfulness, most of all she needed everything the mutt had refused her. "Ginta! Hakkaku! Gather our best trackers!" He yelled down the hall, "And have Anya accompany us as well."

**

* * *

**

Blah.

I know, not a long chapter. I have a whole week of school off after this Friday, so I'm just going to type as long as humanly possible to try and spit out a long, _progressive _chapter. I hate overly long stories, so I want this plot to move along. Now. Too bad I have a short attention span…week long breaks are good, no?

Don't forget to review! I like to hear opinions and suggestions, so please don't worry about being embarrassed about your comments. I'm terribly difficult to offend.

**AngelMason:** I'll be sending you furture chapters for beta reading. Thanks again for offering to help me. I had an unbearable urge to update, so hopefulyl my proof reading panned out okay. =)

See you all soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**No comment. I suck, I know. =(**

**

* * *

  
**

**Fate**

Chapter 7

* * *

The sound of crunching leaving echoed and reverberated throughout the dense forest. Small animals scampered out of the furious path that the little miko was forging; her labored breathing was becoming more intense as the minutes meticulously ticked by. Kagome felt her chest tighten with every sharp intake of breath, believing that perhaps her lungs were starting to rip themselves apart by the sheer pain searing from them. Clasping her wrapped hand closer to her thin body, a quick thought of stopping, just for a moment, crossed her thoughts. _"Damn it."_ Now that the notion was in her head, the intensity of her lungs heightened, as did her exhausted legs.

Tears began to flow freely as Kagome forced her tired limbs to carry her further. Kagome had not been happy for a very long while; Inuyasha had made certain of that. He was right, she was weak. The only thing she could do well some degree of accuracy was run. Of course, her useless human legs couldn't go far, and soon her weak body would give out. Kagome shook her head fiercely, trying to force the silver-haired boy's voice from her mind. Still running, Kagome raked her bare palm across her cheeks, angry at her tears. Tears were a sign of weakness.

Kagome's line of vision abruptly changed, a blur flashing before brown leaves collided with her soft face. "UMPH!" Panting heavily, the miko grunted audibly as she forced herself into a sitting position on her knees. Placing her hand to her neck, she could feel her carotid artery's wild, rhythmic pace. "If…only I…had…a watch." Kagome gasped between breaths, "I'm sure I'm…at a…world…record…here." Kagome wrapped her lithe arms around her tiny, shuttering form; the fire burning in her abdomen was simply unbearable, as was the cotton-like feeling in her mouth and throat. "Uggghh." The girl left herself fall back onto her stomach, arms wrapped about her.

At that moment, Kagome was certain she looked quite ridiculous, what with her derrière protruding into the air in an unbecoming way. Of course she looked ridiculous; she was human. She was nothing but a stupid, unimportant, miniscule, weak, ridiculous human.

Kagome rolled onto her back, her chest still rising and falling at a quick rhythmic pace. Looking at her wrapped hand, Kagome wiped it across her forehead, ridding herself of the perspiration that had accumulated there. The young girl squinted her eyes, "I can't even fall in a shaded area…" she grumbled. Holding her wrapped hand above her, a small sliver of shade graced her eyes; instantly adjusting to the light, Kagome's eyes scanned the cocoon of her hand. Bringing her other hand to it, she gingerly unwrapped the stained cloth.

Caressing her hand, Kagome's mouth opened a bit. The once deep gashes were little more than soft pink lines, as though her hand had been healing for weeks.

((------------------------------------------------------------------------))

Clasping his fist tightly around the sampling from the bed room furs, Kouga growled in his frustration. Nearly two hours in, and his trackers still had not been able to pick up on his intendeds scent. It was mind-numbingly frustrating. His tribe was famous for their tracking skills, yet a mere human had managed to avoid them for this amount of time. And knowing humans in general, they didn't exactly concern themselves with even remotely trying to cover their tacks; humans merely ran, leaving a clear path to them. But his Kagome had not.

Growling again, Kouga snapped his head in Anya's direction, "Nothing?" The young wolf shook her head with a frown. Kouga snarled; his tribe would surely be ridiculed for this for many years to come. Sitting down on a round boulder, Kouga cupped his face in his hands, not bothering to drop the blood-stained sample of fur bedding. He shook his head.

Kouga's men looked on; sympathetic looks plastered onto their faces. It was no secret how much the wolf prince adored his human pet, loosing her certainly would not be sitting well on their leader's heart. They jumped at their leader's sudden bark to stop wasting time. "Anya, you're sure?"

"I already told you," The girl stated flatly, "The human is gone. My ability has no use here."

"Check again." He ordered.

Sighing, Anya crouched to the ground. Placing her palms flat to the ground, her eyes rolled, revealing the white's of her eyes. In addition to being renounced for their excellent tracking skills, Kouga's tribe had recently been taken note of turning out a few wolfs with exceptional skills. One young child could communicate with the dead, another could sense weather shifts. Anya could feel the individual vibrations within the earth. Knowing the natural vibrations, any inconsistencies could possibly indicate anything walking or running in the general area. Humans tended to walk in a particular fashion, years of evolution shaping the way they held their balance, how they shifted their weight.

Coming to, Anya reported that nothing remotely resembled that of a human. A few squirrels perhaps, but not the young girl.

Growling, Kouga dismissed his party, telling them to return to the tribe. He was Kagome's alpha after all, it only made sense that he find his woman and return her to her rightful place. Even having asked for help surely showed his weakness; did he truly doubt his ability to fend for his little minx? Looking up, Kouga sniffed the air. "I will find her."

The trees harshly flailed as Kouga took his leave in search of his Kagome.

((------------------------------------------------------------------------))

Kagome sighed. Having moved, well, rolled, into a more comfortable position out of the suns rays, she found herself contemplating. Thinking was a funny thing. Somewhere in her distant past, Kagome had taken a General Psychology course. A whole chapter had been dedicated to thinking, processing, storing and the like. The part she particularly enjoyed had been the tid-bit concerning dreams.

One wasn't technically thinking went they dreamt, but to a certain extent, they were. It had been scientifically proven that all people dreamed, whether or not the dreams could be remembered. Tons of studies had been done, yet none of them had ever quite figured out as to _why_ people dreamt.

The young miko shuttered, recalling the previous nights dream. She normally didn't recall her dreams, so to say that she was perturbed at this rare treat was putting it lightly. _"Why couldn't I have dreamt about Kouga being chased by rabid bunnies?"_ Kagome's eyes shifted upward, "Kouga."

His name felt odd on her tongue; a mixture of disgust and sheer annoyance. Wriggling at the memory accompanying her dream, Kagome grimaced. From her experiences with Inuyasha, the miko knew that some possessive male qualities would arise no matter how clear she made her stance. But was this an excuse for such behavior?

Kagome shook her head. No, it was not.

Grunting, she flipped onto her stomach, positioning herself to stand. Groaning, she forced herself to her feet. The forest floor wasn't as comfortable as a fur lined bed, but it sure beat standing. Walking in an odd fashion, Kagome continued on her way. A few moments later, her sore muscles grew accustomed to the new physical activity, and loosened a little. Breaking into a brisk jog, Kagome pressed onward towards Inuyasha's forest.

((------------------------------------------------------------------------))

Kagome let her legs crumble beneath her; assuming a resting position, she sighed. The young girl had been running for quite some time, and oddly enough, the more she had ran, the better she had felt. Looking at her hand, the soft pink lines she had seen earlier were almost completely gone; she stared quizzically as an eclectic-looking pink line jolted from her wrist. _"That's odd_."

Looking up to the tie-dye colored sky, Kagome sighed knowing she would need to find some shelter of some sort. Searching her surroundings, any signs of a village being remotely near-by was out of the question. It was at times like this she wished she had a magic cloud like Sesshomaru; things would be so much easier if she had the gift of flight. Yawning, Kagome scooted over towards a large tree whose trunk had a triangular opening. Her whole body could just barely fit inside.

Bringing her knees to her chest, Kagome perched her chin there. Allowing her eye lids to droop, Kagome began to doze and eventually into a light slumber...

_Sprawled on the linoleum floor, Kagome felt as though she was floating; her mind unable to think at full capacity. Dark, gray mist surrounded and choked the little miko. Alveoli contracting in pain, Kagome gasped for air in vain. Clutching her throat, a silent scream escaped her lips. She watched helplessly as the fire engulfed the blurred figures a few paces in front of her. Crawling towards them, she collapsed, still gasping in vain. Mind fogging, Kagome closed her eyes; the last sound reaching her ears was a blood-curdling scream of pain..._

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, her chest heaving. Tears running down her face, Kagome felt frozen to the cold earth beneath her. Looking up, her small triangle shelter seemed to mock her; she wondered how many more travelers before her had rested here, only to wake as she had.

Placing her face in her hands, she began to tremble as her tears began to flow freely. Looking up, Kagome let out a small scream. Two shining blue eyes stared back at her, a soft rumbling emitting from the person blocking her tree shelter.

"K-Kouga…"

* * *

**Yes, yes. I know. Throw flaming thumbtacks and yippy little toy poodles at me. I know I have not updated, and for that I am truly sorry. I do not want to make excuses, but it would seem that my CNA nursing clincals are taking a toll on my writing and updating time. Most of my days are spent studying (gasp).**

**From now on I will try to write chapters over the weekends. I have church to attend in a few short hours, but will try to have chapter 8 half-way done by the nights end. I want to update faster, but writers block is starting to creep in as well. **

**I know where I want to go with the plot, but how to resolve the thing with Kikyou is irking me. I don't want to cop out with clichés…so bear with me (both on plot and updates)**

**Thanks for waiting for this short installment. I'm aiming for chapter 8 to be a bit longer (and interesting, I want fluff just as much you do). You guys deserve it for putting up with my slow ass.**

**D=**


	8. Chapter 8

Guess who's back? Back again? Guess who's back, guess who back, guess who's back. Dun-Nah-Nah.

You can thank classic Eminem for getting me in a writing mood. I don't know why, but he has. I've been thinking of scrapping this story. I want to continue it, but I've realized that I suck at updating in a timely manner. I need to hire a professional ass kicker to make me write when I'm all like "Nah, dude."

Anyway, it's rounding three in the morning here…I have no caffeine readily available…and I'm slowly beginning to go crazy from sleep deprivation (slept like three hours in the past two days. I love my homies and video games!).

Here we go. =D

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**

* * *

**

It had been but two mere hours until he caught that deliciously intoxicating scent, _her_ scent. She couldn't be too far; how Anya had managed to miss a break in the Earth's vibrations was beyond the wolf prince. He growled. Anya was always good at lying. Coming to a skidding halt, ice blue eyes looked skyward. He was just outside his tribes' land line.

Giving a slight smirk, Kouga couldn't help but feel slightly proud at his rebellious intended. She had traveled far in such a short time; such a strong woman would surely bare him equally strong heirs. Grunting at the thought, Kouga took off in a burst of speed.

Running was a delightful thing; it gave one time to think. Certainly a rare hobby for Kouga, but non-the-less enjoyable when he took it upon himself to exercise the liberty. Careful to dodge trees when needed, Kouga's mind began to wonder once more to his little miko. Obviously, he knew he had messed up. But could he be entirely to blame?

Yes, he had been a bit audacious with his approaches to Kagome, but instincts demanded he do so. If a male could not keep his female in line, promiscuity would be sure to follow. As much as he trusted Kagome to never result to such sinful actions, he had seen far too many mated couples struggle through the ordeal, his father and mother included. One simply couldn't be too careful. The pain he felt in his chest was simply unbearable; as much as his inner demon screamed that he had been in the right, his more logical side wholeheartedly disagreed.

If only the little female could understand. She was certainly intelligent, but also prideful. Kouga presumed it to be guaranteed that his little one would take his explanation the wrong way. Their life together would certainly bring struggles, though perhaps more due to their obvious conflicts of interest pertaining to protocol, as with any mating would. The truth of the matter was that was what Kouga exactly wanted: to share his life with a female that was just a stubborn as himself. Life was guaranteed to never be boring, and with that little minx, absolutely exhilarating.

After a few moments, Kouga's mind began to idle, slowly drifting to that of a future family. His chest began to tighten as he recalled his childhood. The wolf prince certainly _cared_ for his father, but the fact that the deplorable man shunned his litters never sat well with him. His father was far to concerned over his adulterous mate and too much of a coward to correct the problem to bother with his pups. Perhaps shunned was not the correct term, but Kouga could really care less.

How a man could take a look at the child that was bore to him, only to look away assuming they would be there when he so chose to look back was beyond Kouga. One such sibling of his had passed due to his father's benign upbringing, leaving the poor pup to wander off on its own. A small corpse was discovered the next day, her neck having been snapped by some predator. All in all, his parents had been rather selfish. What with his careless father and to-busy-literally-screwing-around mother, Kouga was amazed that he survived his childhood.

On the contrary, Kouga could easily see himself as a devoted, loving father. Although not overly evident that absolutely loved children, one could deduce that he "liked the snot-nosed little things." Every so often, Kouga would venture into the 'daycare' area of the cave to sit and watch the "little buggers" for hours on end. A small upturning graced Kouga's features as he thought of the energetic beings. He could only imagine what chaos his future lot could possibly provoke, what with his over-zealous self and spunky miko.

"Kagome…" He whispered into the violently passing winds. Her scent was becoming increasingly stronger, and he eagerly pushed himself faster. Skidding to a stop, Kouga determined it would be best to walk the rest of the distance. She didn't appear to be awfully far away, and at the speeds he would have found her in, the little thing would surely have been profoundly startled.

[[------------------------------------------------------------------]]

Sango violently threw the clay bowl to the ground, a definitive shattering noise resulting from the clay's impact with the hard ground. It was simply infuriating watching him. Her eyes glazed with pure hatred for the hanyou. How could he sit there so calmly knowing Kagome was out on her own, most likely dead or near death? She nodded, he and the dead woman, Kikyou, did have something in common: nether had a heart. Eyes widening, Shippou quickly slid himself as far away as possible from the abrupt act. _"I was wondering when she'd snap…"_

"Bitch!" The silver-haired boy cursed, moving quickly away from the flying clay shards, "What the fuck?"

Pointing an accusing finger at him, Sango unleashed a flurry of choice words for the impudent fool. The half-breed's ears flattened to his silver mane, he never did like loud noises, particularly this loud noise. If anything could possibly be worse than that woman's cooking, it had to be her annoyingly condescending voice.

"Oh shut the fuck up, Sango!" Inuyasha brandished, "The wench wasn't much use anyway! Quit being so damn emotional about it!"

Sango fumed, "How dare you, Inuyasha! What was she to you then? A mirror image of that clay whore? You sicken me. If anything you're better off dead!" Sango's speech slowly morphed into that of slurred curses directed towards the hanyou. Propping himself up on one arm, Inuyasha stared at her with a bored expression.

Walking back into the campsite, Miroku took in the site of Sango yelling obscenities that would put a seasoned sailor to shame. The monk sighed, as much as he was enjoying the spectacle, it simply wasn't appropriate for the young kitsune that happened to be cowering away from the bickering pair. Cautiously approaching the demon slayer, the monk tenderly laid a hand on the red-faced woman's shoulder. Instantly pulling his hand away in a defensive gesture, he quickly stated, "Now, now Lady Sango. Perhaps you should take a walk so as to calm down a bit."

The enraged woman stared at Miroku before harshly snapping her head back in Inuyasha's direction. Yes, a walk did sound lovely; anything to be away from the worm sitting comfortably in front of her. Quickly gathering her belongings, which could easily fit in her make-shift nap-sack, Sango stomped from the campsite; it appeared Sango was taking a permanent walk.

"Good riddance, Inuyasha!" Stopping, she turned her attention to the kitsune and the monk, "Well?"

Nodding in understanding, the monk quietly gathered his things as well. Gently picking up Shippou, he gave Inuyasha a fleeting glance. In the time that the monk had know the half-breed, never had he seen him _this_ selfish. Inuyasha had since turned away from the trio, picking at his teeth with a pointy twig. Waving them off, he gave a signature "Feh!" as they disappeared into the forest.

[[--------------------------------------------------------------------]]

Kagome's eyes fluttered open, her chest heaving. Tears running down her face, Kagome felt frozen to the cold earth beneath her. Looking up, her small triangle shelter seemed to mock her; she wondered how many more travelers before her had rested here, only to wake as she had.

Placing her face in her hands, she began to tremble as her tears began to flow freely. Looking up, Kagome let out a small scream. Two shining blue eyes stared back at her, a soft rumbling emitting from the person blocking her tree shelter.

"K-Kouga…"

Blinking furiously, Kagome rubbed her hands over her eyes. Looking out into the darkness that surrounded her, she saw nothing. Peeping her head out a little, the miko curiously yet cautiously squinted back at her surroundings. The only eyes that greeted her were the shining gold of an obese hoot-owl who was looking around just as she was doing.

Roughly falling back into her triangular shelter, she settled with an audible "Uff!" Placing a hand on her left cheek, she wiped away the now cold tears. Shaking her head, she directed her gaze upward, beginning the process of thinking about absolutely nothing.

Although she had only been traveling for a short time, Kagome felt as though her mind was becoming numb. The girl was quite the social creature, at least in the feudal era. Having none other than herself to converse with was becoming increasingly boring, to say the least.

Kouga may have been obsessively annoying, but he was someone to talk to…even if he did most of the talking with "his stupid boom of a laugh and equally loud mouth!" Letting out a frustrated growl, she pounded her fists into her lap. She was doing it again!

[[------------------------------------------------------------------]]

Jumping quietly into a tree, Kouga masked his youkai. Slightly below him, not far away, was his little miko. If he had to be thankful for one ability granted to his kind by the kamis above, Kouga readily decided it to be between his night vision and tracking abilities. Though now, he preferred the night vision. Watching the female was an oddity, to be sure.

By all means, at least by his logic, the girl was something to behold. Never had a female, much less a human one at that, ever behave in a manner in which she conducted herself. It was painfully obvious that her customs were different from that of his tribe, much to the elder's dismay, as well as the blazing fact that she was educated. Such things were unheard of females, but Kouga did not care.

If anything, this made the little thing all that more desirable. The last thing he wanted was some dumb bitch following him around worshiping the ground he walked upon. No, his little Kagome had spirit, a will of her own. A mindless zombie would do him no good, but yet a little human female could.

Yes she was human, and yes she was frail. But one could also argue that her intelligence could make up for that. Given the proper training, Kagome would certainly be a valuable asset to his people. From what he knew of her, she wasn't exactly "by the book," but the girl didn't like to play games for long.

Kouga sighed. Finally having someone to keep those rowdy females in line would be a Kami-send. He was an alpha male, not alpha female stand-in. If he had to hear one more complaint about the draperies being of too poor a quality, or the male pups being less advantaged than that of the neighboring wolf tribes, he knew he would let finally burst. Kouga loved the women of the tribe, to be sure. But something about the constant, whiny noise every single one of them made was just plain torture.

Yes. He would happily hand over that job to his Kagome. If only she would accept him. "If only I could quit screwing up." He spoke softly.

[[------------------------------------------------------------------]]

A dew drop slowly slid from the tiny leaf growing just over the entrance to Kagome's temporary resting place. Landing on her nose, she wrinkled it, before groggily opening her eyes. How she ever managed to get into such complicated sleeping positions was beyond her, but this one certainly was one to remember.

Sprawled on her back, one leg was tucked neatly under her rump, while the other was incomprehensibly bent and climbing up the inside of the tree trunk. It was then she realized her left arm was numb. Groaning, she pulled the dead limb out from beneath her neck and let it plop onto her stomach. Soon the annoying tingling sensation began, and she fought the urge to make a face as the slightest movement urged the feeling to intensify.

Looking up into the tree canopy above, Kagome sighed. She vaguely had an idea of where she was. The Bone Eater's Well wasn't to awfully far away, perhaps another twenty miles or so. How she managed to cover ground the way she had previously made her smirk. "Horray for adrenaline rushes." Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she stated to herself, "I really need a Nos right now. Grape. Mmmm, yeah. Grape Nos."

Resolving for a Grape Nos to be her first purchase when she arrived home, Kagome rolled to her stomach and pushed herself to her feet.

[[------------------------------------------------------------------]]

Kouga stirred in his branch, his attention quickly locking on the other stirring creature, his Kagome. All night his thoughts had been plagued by the miko, some thoughts resulting in not-so-pure bodily actions. He gave a slight rumble in his throat. She was an angel in his eyes, yet so inconceivably frustrating at the same time. Growling at some of the thoughts his mind had conjured, he continued to the watch the miko a short distance from him.

At least one resolve had come from Kagome constantly berating his thoughts. Kouga had determined that the best plan of action would be to simply let Kagome go to wherever it was she thought she was going, and when she finally tuckered out, to let himself be known.

His male drive to protecting what was his would be satisfied, as would saving him a, no-doubt, brutal verbal whipping from his little vixen. The girl would surely be too tuckered out to yell, and certainly from her miko powers from exploding and thus purifying him. He nodded at the thought; Kagome needed to be trained in her miko powers as well. Although he found her little outbursts to be entertaining, the larger ones were naught to be toyed with.

However, the wolf prince never knew how absolutely boring following the girl would be. Humans walked far too slow for his taste. He wished she would unknowingly reveal to him how she had traveled so far and fast before. Following at such a slow pace was even more tortuous than those fickle wolf demonesses back at the cave.

[[------------------------------------------------------------------]]

At last, Kagome came to a stop. Fighting the urge to rejoice, the wolf prince watched intently. Kagome was looking around as if looking for something. As if finding what she was looking for, she suddenly took off in a run through a small patch of brush. Leaping effortlessly, he saw what she had been looking for. A few paces away was the ancient Bone Eater's Well. What the girl planned to do with it was beyond him; at least it was more mind stimulating than that of silently following at a completely dead shuffle.

Kagome was peering into the Well, a look of happiness beginning to overtake her features. Kouga's heart dropped somewhat; maybe he really couldn't make her happy. If a few planks of wood could do what he couldn't, what chance did he really have?

Eyes widening, his heart nearly stopped as he saw her beginning to hoist her entire form over the wooden lip of the Well. Rushing forward, Kouga grasped the lip where Kagome had once sat. Looking in, he found no trace of her.

"What?"

Jumping in for a closer inspection, Kouga's legs and arm containing the jewel shards began to glow. Purple mist began to engulf his body. Everything turned white.

* * *

BLAH.

Four in the freaking morning, and not a single Grape Nos in the house. Grrr!

And yes. I realize there was no fluff in this chapter.

Flame if you want.

I love you. :D


	9. Chapter 9

Gasp! She has updated in a timely manner! Surely a sign of the apocalypse!

I hope the grammar for this is okay. I had arranged for a beta, but as you guys know, I died there for a while again. I hope she comes back. :(

It doesn't exactly add anything to the story, but the song "My lips like sugar" is a pretty good reading song. =D

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**

* * *

  
**

Kagome landed lightly on her feet at the bottom of the Well. Over the course of using the ancient thing, the young girl had learned how to not land on her rear every single time she broke the space-time-continuum. Kagome shivered; the Well never failed to give her goosebumps. The demonic magic and overwhelming power could certainly be felt by her small form, and honestly, she was amazed that it didn't rip her to shreds.

Looking up, she smiled. Apparently the door to the Well House had been left open, "Souta, no doubt," and light could be seen sprawling across the old wooden planks that covered the Well. "No climbing in the dark!" She squealed happily.

Just as she was beginning to climb, Kagome's face suddenly met dirt. With an "umph!" Kagome felt the air harshly being pushed from her lungs. Thinking it to be her fat, lazy cat Buyo, she reached her hands over her head to grab the offending furry creature. When her hands made contact, she immediately froze.

Shock overtook her features as her hands began to explore. Nose, forehead, mouth, hair… "Oh. My. Kami." Eyes widening, Kagome's mind quickly switched over to 'get-the-hell-out-of-here' mode, and promptly began squirming beneath the man she knew as Kouga. Flailing about, Kagome felt her hand hit Kouga in the face. Her other hand collided with one of his pointed ears; at this she heard a low growl.

Kagome felt her wrists be grabbed gently, and forced to the ground. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her skull. At the command of "Stop," she promptly complied. A variety of curse words made their way through Kagome's mind. This was not good. The only person, other than herself, to be allowed through the Well was Inuyasha. Was the Well broken?

Either way, "I'm screwed." She said aloud. Grimacing, she mentally scolded herself for, once again, talking aloud to herself. Kagome was snapped from her mental scolding by Kouga's question of where they were.

"Um, well…you see, uh…" Kagome struggled, "Can you, uh…" She gasped for air, "Get off of me…please?"

Realizing that he was, indeed, crushing Kagome, Kouga quickly rolled off of the little miko, albeit begrudgingly. The feel of her body, her curves was delicious…too bad his demon weight was a little much for her, at least in that particular way. Damn. Having relieved Kagome from her current situation, Kouga posed his question again. He watched her carefully.

Kouga noted the hesitation in her face, along with the slight bit of fear imposing on her delicate facial features. His heart sank a little; she was still afraid of him. The wolf prince couldn't help but feeling a little ashamed at himself. He claimed his love to the girl, yet the way he acted towards her could certainly be counted as unforgivable, at least by human standards.

Yes, he loved her. Understand her culture, not so much. It seemed he and his inner demon had an interesting dilemma. Any demon bitch would have understood his actions and not responded in the way his Kagome did. Her being human, he could understand her fear, but at the same time, not. Humans were so drastically complicated, add his Kagome into the mix, nearly impossible.

From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was different. Her stature, her speech, her behavior, and certainly her way of dress were all different, uniquely Kagome. Kouga knew he had struck gold, and he fully intended to claim her for himself. What Kouga hadn't calculated in was that fact that with uniqueness also came the uniqueness of handling the situation. Sure, demons had claimed human females before, but _those_ females blindly complied, _his_ female was different. Getting her to comply was the problem, and sadly, the only way he knew how to court a female was what his instincts demanded. And they didn't seem to be working.

"Well…um," Kagome began, bringing Kouga's attention back to her, "This is where I live…" Looking at his confused expression, she quickly waved her hands in defense, "No, no! Not 'here, here,'" She pointed to the ground, "Live as in…well. If we climb up you'll see…eep!"

Kouga had snatched Kagome about the waste, and with a single leap, and brought them to the top of the Well. Landing on the lip of the Well, Kouga gently stepped onto the wooden floor encasing it. Rubbing his right foot over it, he cocked his head to the side. Noticing the fidgeting girl in his arms, he reluctantly let her to her own feet. His beast demanded he hold her fast, but recalling what happened the previous time, he dismissed his instincts.

Kagome gave a nervous laugh. She thought she had gotten away from this man, only for him to somehow had followed her back. Kagome sighed, she was really screwed. It was foolish for her to even come back to her time anyway…her family had help a memorial service for her! Everyone, save for her family, thought she was dead. "Ugh!"

"Is there something wrong, love?" Kouga asked, looking closely at her.

Kagome waved him away, "No, no! It's…complicated," She hesitated, "So, yeah…about where I live. Um, you…I…oh, just follow me." Quickly grabbing him by the wrist, Kagome pulled the wolf demon towards the open Well House doors.

Looking at Kagome's small hand, the slight shaking of it didn't go unnoticed by the wolf prince. Sliding his hand up, he intertwined his fingers with Kagome's, gently gripping it, attempting to calm her nervousness. Stopping abruptly, Kagome ignored the sudden action, and instead locked eyes with the man slightly to her right, "The smell might be a bit strong…" With that she continued until they were completely out of the Well House.

"Huh? Oh Kami!" Kouga quickly covered his nose with his free hand, "It smells worse than Ginta and Hakkaku!" One of his trade-mark booming laughs followed. "How do you manage to smell good when it smells like Ginta's pelt and Hakkaku's feet?" Again, he gave a booming laugh.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. The way he picked on those two was pitiful; in her opinion, Kouga was the epitome of an annoying big brother. If he hadn't acted the way he had a few nights prior, perhaps she wouldn't had been as nervous as she was at the current moment. Her world was complicated yes, but playing host to it was a welcome challenge compared to dealing and accepting the other side of Kouga that she had seen. She shuttered. An action that did not go unnoticed by Kouga.

Kouga gave an inward sigh. He had long since established that he had royally messed up, and, quite frankly, he was beginning to lose his confidence about his chances with the girl. With a huge blow to his ego, and an even bigger blow to his heart, he vowed to make things right with the young girl leading him by the hand. She deserved so much more than that Inutrash, and he'd be damned if he just gave up. No, it just wasn't the wolf prince's style to give up easily. Besides, his persona demanded he be a little over-determined in his endeavors. He was Kouga, after all.

[[---------------------]]

Kagome knocked on the door, before giving a twist to the knob. It easily gave away, welcoming her and her guest into the home. The shrine had always been in a safe area, due to it being sacred and all. Kagome and her family had never bothered to lock the doors when they were home. The miko's heart gave a flutter when she thought of being able to see her mother, brother, and eccentric grandfather again. She never really knew how homesick she ever was until actually returning home.

"Mom?" Kagome called, "Where are you at? I'm home!" Kagome paused. Her slightly A.D.D. mind suddenly came to the realization that announcing that one was home was a bit counterproductive. Obviously she was home, or else her mother, or anyone for that matter, wouldn't sanely be hearing her voice. It was kind of like saying that someone was gone and that they must have left. She gave a nod. Yes, her former statement had been dumb.

"Kagome? I'm upstairs dear! Stay put, I'll come to you!" Her mother responded. Seconds later, Kagome's eyes locked onto that of her teary-eyed mother who happened to be rushing towards her daughter. "Whatever are you doing here? I thought…oh never mind that! I'm so happy to see you, Kagome!"

Shaking her hand free from Kouga's, Kagome eagerly embraced her mother. Kouga caught the scent of tears, but knew that they were not ones of sadness. He shook his head; females could be too emotional sometimes. He could understand being happy to see one's mother again after being separated, but tears really served no purpose. They only made the eyes puffy, and crying made the nose run. An annoyance, by any means he conceded.

Pulling away from her mother, Kagome pointed in Kouga's direction, informing her mother of he was. Smiling tenderly, Kagome's mother stepped forward to inspect the man. Happy with her brief staring contest, she happily welcomed the man into her home,

"Any friend of my Kagome is welcome here. Please, do make yourself at home." Looking back to her daughter she continued, "Your grandfather is at a neighboring shrine. Some nonsense about inadequate sutras and Souta will be home shortly from school. We'll catch up later, honey. Why not show, Kouga was it? around while we wait for everyone to get back?" With that, her mother headed towards the basement door, no doubt to go scrub something.

Kagome looked to Kouga, a look of anxiousness crossing her features. _"Please don't let him break anything expensive…"_ She thought uneasily. Being back home had made her a little bit more at ease around him, but the thought of anything valuable being broken replaced what uneasiness she had willed away.

[[---------------------]]

"I don't know! Kagome replied wearily. For the past two hours, she had to painstakingly inform Kouga of any and everything about her time. After finally getting through humanities complete history, they had progressed onto every single item in her room, and were now in the bathroom. She had tried to just give a brief summary of the purpose of key items, but no. Kouga wanted to knew about everything and every single little detail to go with it. Why in the world would she care what the flooring was comprised of and how the toilet created suction?

"I do not understand." Kouga stated flatly. Kagome's world was fascinating, yet at the same time completely and utterly mind boggling. How her species had managed to develop such technologies was beyond him. Though apparently, devices such as a sink and toilet were everyday commodities here.

"Look, I don't know everything about this stuff." Kagome tried to explain, "I just know how to use it, and that's all that matters."

"And if your commodities were to break, how would you know how to fix them?" Kouga countered.

"We call someone who knows how to fix it and pay them to fix it." She replied bluntly.

"Why would you want to waste your hard-earned gold when you could fix something yourself?" Kouga retorted.

"We don't use gold in this time." Kagome replied, "We use paper money."

"Paper money? What is that?" Kagome sweat dropped.

[[---------------------]]

As it turned out, Kagome never was saved from her grand tour of the year 2009. Gramps had decided to stay at the neighboring shrine, for surely a demon attack would befall it if not for his protection. "But not to worry!" He had told her mother over the telephone, "The sutras I have around the house will serve you well for tonight!" With a smile, Kagome's mother began to peel the sutras from her refrigerator, as she ended the phone call.

Souta had been invited to stay the weekend at one of his friend's houses. Knowing her little brother would rush home at the mere mention of a guest of Kagome's, much less a full-blooded demon, Kagome's mother opted to forgo even letting Souta know she was home. Much to Kagome's annoyance, her mother claimed to be tuckered out from cleaning all day, and that she had to retire without cooking dinner.

"Some welcome home party…" She grumbled under her breath as she pulled a variety of foods from the refrigerator. Kouga gave one of his booming laughs as he keenly watched her, quickly snapping his mouth shut as she "shhhhed" him. "If you keep laughing like that, Mom will wake up. And I don't think she'd appreciate you bombarding her with questions about the green stuff all over her face…don't ask." At that, Kouga closed his mouth.

[[---------------------]]

Having successfully eaten five raw steaks, eight packages of ramen, three TV dinners, all the left-over takeout and an entire gallon of milk, Kouga conceded that he would be "held over" until morning. Kagome sighed; the man ate more than an entire American football team put together. Her mother certainly wouldn't be happy come morning.

Kagome sighed. It looked as though Kouga didn't plan on going anywhere without her. At least he didn't seem to mind staying a few days in her time. She smiled; he was more lenient than Inuyasha and certainly nicer…if not a little more annoying, but not a mean annoying like the half-breed. Sometimes he could be funny; more than anything he just tired her out. Kagome sharply shook her head. _"No. Stop it right now, Kagome!"_

After gathering up a few blankets and pillows, Kagome readied the pull-out couch for Kouga to sleep in. Sure, she had a blow-up mattress that all of her friends slept on in her room, but there was no way he would be staying in the same room as her. Besides, she doubted she'd ever get to sleep once he saw it. More than once that day, Kagome was tempted to tell him that 'curiosity killed the cat.' She chuckled again thinking that he would most assuredly ask for an explanation to that.

"What is so amusing, love?" Kouga asked from the recliner chair, which he happened to be closing and reopening, while at the same time rocking back and forth in it. Kagome cast a glance in his direction, intending to remind him of her annoyance of pet names, but the sight that greeted her only made her burst into laughter. She was simply too tired, and the sight to odd _not_ to laugh at.

Kouga cocked his head to the side, and was met with Kagome holding her palm up. "No more questions for tonight. Maybe tomorrow too. Goodnight."

Heading up the stairs, Kagome made her way towards her room. Stopping in front of the door she turned around. Placing her hands on Kouga's shoulders, she turned him around and gave him a slight push back down the hall. "Oh, no, no, no. You sleep down there."

"But, Kagome I…" He was met with the closing of her bedroom door. Kouga heard her call 'I said goodnight!' before hearing her shuffling through what sounded like fabric and a short time later clamoring into her bed. Placing a clawed hand on the thing Kagome had called a 'door-knob,' he tried to turn it, only to find that it would not budge.

"So, my little Kagome wants to play, does she?" He smirked.

[[---------------------]]

Kouga sat cross-legged, arms crossed over his chest staring at Kagome's door, as if trying to will it open. He had tried going outside to climb in through the window, only to find it locked as well. His instincts screamed for him to simply kick the door in, but his more rational side told him that Kagome probably wouldn't like that very much.

So there he sat, trying to figure out how to get that damn door open without tearing it to shreds. In his quest for knowledge, Kouga had talked Kouga into briefly explaining how a 'lock' worked. Apparently, a particular shape had to match the inside of it, to make some 'do-hickey' turn over, thus unlocking whatever was locked. He then had inquired what one would do if they lost their 'key,' much to his Kagome's dismay. Before walking off, she had replied that some people "are good at picking locks."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He thought out loud. "Picking a lock…picking a lock…"

Sighing, Kouga stood to his feet and began to pace up and down the hallway. From what Kagome had told and shown him, keys were funny looking things. These 'keys' had jagged cuts in one side, so logically; the inside of a lock should too. Kagome's place of residence had many odd shaped things, but not hardly enough oddly shaped things that could fit into the tiny space in the center of the door knob.

It was then that something caught his attention. Looking down, he located the odd sensation that was under his foot. Picking up the small object, he smiled wickedly. Whatever this wire-thing was, it was small; it was jagged, and could certainly fit into that little space. Placing his new-found inspiration into the knob, he began to gently wiggle it.

His keen ears picked up on the different levers turning, while some returned back to their previous positions. Obviously, this thing wasn't the correct shape. He pulled the, whatever-it-was, out of the door knob and made several new dents in it, while straitening some out. Listening once more, he could tell he was getting closer. A few minutes later, he heard the knob click, and turn.

The door fell open in defeat. "So that is what she meant by picking a lock?" He said to himself quietly, "That wasn't hard at all!" With that he gave a booming laugh, quickly slapping his hands over his offending mouth as he heard Kagome groan and turn in her sleep. He gave a sigh a relief when her breathing returned to normal.

Standing from his crouch, he silently made his way towards Kagome's bed, gently closing the door once more, before continuing towards her. Pulling his armor from over his head, he kicked his leg-coverings from him and slipped under the covers to join his Kagome.

Pulling the small form to him, he soon drifted off into a light slumber.

* * *

Haha! Kagome's downfall will be the all-mighty bobby-pin! _Dun dun dun! _At least Kouga was a good-boy...he didn't break anything, yet. lol_  
_

I wanted to write more, but it's now 4:30AM here. Eh, it's around 1,000 more words than normal, so I guess it's okay. I'm not really sure how long I should keep them in the modern day, or the things I should put in that 'time slot'--**suggestions?** Either way, you guys are going to **hate** what happens before they go back. Muhahaha!_  
_

**VirusYoukaiChild:** A Grape Nos is the most awesome of energy drinks. Unlike other energy drinks, a Grape Nos does not leave you with that energy drink after-taste. Instead, it tastes just like grape soda, while still giving you the kick you expect from an energy drink! Regular and Fruit Punch Nos is good too. Grape is just my favorite. =D

P.S.: 

So, confession time: this is not my first fanfic. My first fanfic is actually a story called Summer Camp. I was thinking of resurrecting it. Like this fic, it's from back in the day (2005, to be exact.) My explanation is far to long to put here for a short author's note…so if your curiosity is even the least bit provoked, go to www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/~demonfirefairy to get info about this dead fic I'm thinking of resurrecting.

I'm also thinking of re-writing Chapters 3 & 4 of this story. That POV stuff _is_ annoying…at least the way I wrote it. Lawlz.


End file.
